Family asked for help before suicide death

A coroner has requested more information from health officials after a family said they asked for a loved one to be sectioned just weeks before he took his own life.

Lincoln Coroner’s Court was told that Christopher Murfet (31), of Westlode Street, Spalding, had a history of mental health issues and had on several occasions tried, or threatened, to take his life.
His body was found in his room on December 29, 2019.
A toxicology report found no evidence of alcohol or drugs in Mr Murfet’s body.
The hearing heard he was a carer for his wheelchair-bound mum.
Earlier that month his family had asked health professionals with the Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust at the Pilgrim Hospital to section him for his own safety and had expressed concerns that various bodies involved with his care “hadn’t been talking to each other”, the inquest was told.
A family spokesman told the inquest: “They said he didn’t meet the criteria.”
Coroner Paul Cooper commented that a report from the Partnership stated it was because Mr Murfet had not given any indication at the time of assessment that he would make a further attempt on his life or lacked capacity for decision making.
He told the family: “Many sane people take their own life. That does not mean they lack capacity.
“I’m happy to take that up. I agree with your representations at the time. If you presented him in the manner you did, they should have looked at that in a bit more depth.
“Whether it would have saved his life or not, because that was in early December and it wasn’t until then end of December when he decided to end things, but I’m happy to go back to the team at the time at The Pilgrim and say ‘can you explain why he wasn’t sectioned at that time and if he wasn’t considered for section, why not?’”
Delivering a verdict of suicide, he continued: “It’s rare that if they’ve tried suicide once they won’t try again. Not all the time, but it is a frequent factor.
“It’s not going to bring him back but it will get them looking at what they do.
“I don’t agree with the author of this document when she says he lacked capacity for decision making, I don’t think that comes into it.”