Vulnerable man took own life after dressing gown cord overlooked

A vulnerable man who died after hanging himself at a mental health unit in Essex was “failed by the state”, an inquest jury has concluded.

Richard Wade, 30, died in May 2015 after being found on the floor of a shower room at the Linden Centre in Chelmsford.

His inquest heard how staff who should have looked after him failed to remove a dressing gown cord that he used to take his own life.

Essex Police is investigating a number of deaths at the centre since 2000.

The Essex NHS Trust said the history of serious incidents at the Linden Centre was of “great concern”. It added it was “improving systems to ensure that investigations are carried out rigorously”.

After an inspection of the Linden Centre in August 2015 by the Care Quality Commission, inspectors reported that “one patient attempted to strangle themselves with a ligature”. A year later they found safety was still a concern.

“The trust must ensure that action is taken to remove identified ligature risks,” a report said.