Son wanted hospital transfer before death, father tells inquest

Liam McGenity was found dead at St Mary's Hospital in Warrington

The father of a man who died at a private mental health hospital has told an inquest his son "would still be alive if he had been transferred".

Liam McGenity was found dead on 2 March 2021 while under one-to-one supervision at St Mary's Hospital in Warrington, run by Elysium Healthcare.

The 29-year-old from Widnes was admitted to the unit after a mental health crisis.

A jury inquest into his death began on Monday at Cheshire Coroner's Court.

Peter McGenity told the court that his 29-year-old his son was living in Glastonbury when he was sectioned under section two of the mental health act after suffering what was believed to be a drug induced psychosis.

He was later transferred to the Brooker Centre mental health unit in Runcorn.

A nurse who treated him there said Mr McGenity needed periods of seclusion because he was a risk to himself and others, and had said he wanted to take his own life.

'Unfillable hole'

The jury heard he had made a tearful call to the unit in Runcorn to say he wanted to return there after he was moved to an NHS bed at the private St Mary's Hospital.

His father told the jury that his son felt like he was being held in a prison, adding it was "black and white that they never wanted us to have contact with him" and that "staff looked like they were there for their muscle not for their care".

Liam McGenity's father said he had been "consumed with a dreadful illness"

He said his son had threatened to harm himself if he was not transferred.

Dr Rashad Nazir, a consultant psychiatrist treated Mr McGenity on two occasions when he needed more intensive treatment prior to his move to St Mary's Hospital.

He told the jury that Mr McGenity was "warm and interacted with all aspects of care".

The 29-year-old would sometimes say how he would kill himself if he did not get out of hospital but that he also "had hope" and responded well to visits from his family, Dr Nazir said.

Mr McGenity's father said his son's death had "left an unfillable hole in our lives".

The inquest is expected to last until 1 March.

If you're affected by the issues in this piece, you can find support from BBC Action Line.