Crisis team cancelled visit to man later found dead - inquest

A mental health professional expressed that it was a "significant error" to call off a check-in with a man who was discovered deceased close to a railway track later that day.

An investigation into the death of Dan Kay from Liverpool revealed that he was admitted to the hospital with self-inflicted injuries to his neck on May 1 of the previous year.

The 45-year-old ex-journalist from the Liverpool Echo, who was also a Hillsborough advocate, was sent back home with plans for daily check-ins on his well-being. However, these visits were reduced to every other day, and no visit was set for May 7—the day he passed away.

Matthew Wigley, a member of the Mersey Care crisis team, expressed during the inquest that he was unaware of the reasons behind the cancellation of the visit on May 7. He acknowledged, "It was a significant error, and I apologize for it."

During questioning by lawyer Dr. Cian Murphy, who represented Mr. Kay's family, Mr. Wigley acknowledged that Mersey Care did not adhere to its usual protocol of determining the required level of care and assigning a specific lead social worker.

The investigation revealed that Mr. Kay had overdosed on antidepressants and paracetamol in late April, just before he harmed himself with a knife.

On Tuesday, the inquiry revealed that Mr. Kay's condition had deteriorated after he had to make the difficult decision to euthanize his dog, which had become aggressive and bitten his friend.

At the Royal Liverpool Hospital, it was determined that there was no reason for him to be held against his will.

Mental health nurse Meghan McGee faced numerous inquiries about why she hadn’t initiated the procedure to have him committed under the Mental Health Act, especially knowing that he had tried to take his own life 26 years prior.

She mentioned that in a three-hour discussion, Mr. Kay expressed that he didn't plan to follow through on his suicidal thoughts and was seeking help and support.

Ms. McGee remarked, "It was clear that he had a genuine interest in people; his eyes sparkled when he talked about his passion for journalism, advocating for those less fortunate, and standing up for what is right."

She stated that she no longer had any worries about Mr. Kay posing a direct threat to himself.

As he got up to go, he requested a hug and said, "I'll catch you at the Tesco on Allerton Road once I'm feeling better."

Mr. Kay was meant to get support that included daily check-ins, a set of medications, and a health management plan.

Stephen Potter, a social worker with Mersey Care and a licensed nurse, testified at the inquest that he had expected to visit Mr. Kay on May 7. He stated that he was taken aback to discover that the visit was not scheduled on his agenda for that day.

He mentioned that he heard Mr. Kay had called off the meeting to hang out with friends. However, Mr. Potter conceded that there was no documentation to support this claim.

Assistant coroner Joseph Hart mentioned that there was no record indicating when the call occurred, who answered it, the reason behind it, or any explanation provided.

Mr. Potter mentioned that he tried to reach out to Mr. Kay on May 7. He was startled when he saw an online news article about a body being discovered on the train tracks near Mr. Kay's home in South Liverpool.

He mentioned that he had made another call and began jotting down his daily observations. During questioning by Dr. Murphy, Mr. Potter acknowledged that he hadn’t followed the care plan properly, which stated he should have contacted the police and Mr. Kay’s friend, Steve Kelly, if he failed to reach Mr. Kay.

The investigation at the Gerard Majella Courthouse in Liverpool is ongoing.