An inquest into the death of a father-of-two from Wherstead heard that his mental health had been assessed just three days before he took his own life.

Jak Blackwood, 34, died at his home in Wherstead on June 2 last year.

Those gathered at Suffolk Coroners’ Court in Ipswich on Friday heard that Mr Blackwood was a “focused and adventurous” marketing manager for Royal Hospital School in Holbrook and had made videos on mental health for the NHS in his youth.

Originally from Reading, Mr Blackwood moved to Suffolk with his family in 2016, and enjoyed volunteering at the nearby Jimmy’s Farm.

Mr Blackwood had begun to struggle with his mental health in January of last year due to the breakup of his marriage.

The court heard that Mr Blackwood had made two attempts to take his own life between February and May 2023.

Both times, he received support from the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team at Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.

On May 30, Mr Blackwood told his GP that he was suicidal and had almost taken his own life on May 28.

The GP arranged for Mr Blackwood to be taken to Ipswich Hospital by ambulance, where he was assessed by Julie Murphy and Yasmin Youell, nurses from the hospital’s mental health liaison team.

Mrs Murphy told the court that she had spoken with Mr Blackwood for between one and one and a half hours.

She said that he presented in “calm and coherent” manner, and was able to discuss and agree to an action plan to keep himself safe.

This time, Mr Blackwood declined home treatment from the crisis team, saying that since May 28 he had been speaking with friends and felt more able to process his feelings.

He was discharged from Ipswich Hospital after being given a number for the crisis team, and an electronic letter was sent to his GP with advice to prescribe him sertraline, a drug which he had previously been taking, and diazepam if necessary.

On June 2, Mr Blackwood’s friends became concerned that they had been unable to contact him. They attended his home, where they discovered that Mr Blackwood had died.

In court was Mr Blackwood’s father, Andrew Blackwood. He questioned why Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust had not made contact with his son’s friends or family regarding his mental health.

He said that he was grateful for the kindness of Mr Blackwood’s network of friends. “I believe they did their best,” he said.

“But sometimes, love and comfort are not enough, and professional support is needed.”

Mrs Murphy said that, while she cannot recall the specifics of her conversation with Mr Blackwood, she believes that she would have asked him if there were any friends or family who she could contact on his behalf. Had he given permission, she said she would have done so, but that without his consent, this would not have been possible.

The presiding coroner, Mrs Catherine Wood, said that she understood the difficult position of health clinicians in these cases.

“It is very hard to make a risk assessment, because people, particularly articulate and intelligent people, can sometimes say what they think people want to hear,” she said.

She said that she had not heard any evidence to suggest that Mr Blackwood should have been kept in hospital against his wishes on May 30, or that contact should have been made with his family without his consent.

She also said she was not sure this would have made a difference, even if the clinicians had done so.

Mrs Wood recorded a conclusion of suicide, and ended proceedings by passing on her own sincere condolences to Mr Blackwood’s family.

If you need urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and select option 2 or the Samaritans on 116 123. Both services are available 24 hours 7 days a week.