A PATIENT at a psychiatric unit killed herself with an overdose of tablets after being sent home for Christmas, an inquest was told.

Now, NHS Trust chief executive Mr John Thomas has promised 70-year-old Margaret Dunbar's care while she was patient at Queen's Park Hospital, will be reviewed.

An inquest heard that a risk assessment procedure had been carried out on Mrs Dunbar before she was allowed home.

And the man responsible for her care, Dr PT Salim, said the assessment did not reveal any risk to Mrs Dunbar.

"While she was an in-patient she did not express any suicidal thoughts," said Dr Salim. "When she went home there were no concerns about her safety."

The dead woman's daughter, Julie Black, alleged there had been a number of incidents involving ward F1 at Queen's Park and asked the coroner whether he would be investigating these.

But coroner Michael Singleton said the family would have to take the matter up with the hospital directly.

"Where the death occurs within a hospital psychiatric unit such as that at Queen's Park, there are concerns because they have a duty of care," said Mr Singleton.

"In your mother's case, at the time she took the overdose she was not under the care of the hospital. They had carried out a risk assessment which said she was not a danger to herself. The fact is that turned out to be wrong.

"If you have concerns as to whether she should have been released or sectioned, that is a matter you should take up with the authorities," he added. The inquest heard that Mrs Dunbar had lived at Beech Close, Clayton-le-Dale, with her husband until his death in January 1999, after which her mental health deteriorated. She spent time in Queen's Park in 1999 and was again admitted in August 2000 after she became paranoid.

She was released in October but then re-admitted, this time to F1, at the beginning of December.

Mrs Black said she had expressed concern about her mother's condition when she had been released in October and was equally concerned when she was sent home on December 22.

"When I spoke to her on the phone on Christmas Eve I could tell she wasn't well," said Mrs Black, who had her mother round the following day.

"Christmas Day was awful. She would not speak, she wouldn't open any presents and Christmas dinner was completely silent as far as my mother was concerned."

Mrs Black's son, Stephen, was staying with his grandmother, and when he returned home on Boxing Day the door was locked from inside.

His mother arrived and they got into the house where they found Mrs Dunbar collapsed on the bed.

A post-mortem examination revealed Mrs Dunbar died as a result of the toxic effect of procycidine and oxazapam and Mr Singleton recorded a verdict she killed herself.

Mr Thomas said after the inquest: "I will ensure that Mrs Dunbar's care while she was a patient at this Trust is reviewed. I will also contact Mrs Dunbar's family to discuss any concerns that they may have.

"I would like to extend my sympathies to Mrs Dunbar's family at this very sad time."