AVON & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust has vowed to improve its service after a family criticised the care it gave to a relative who later took his ow life.

Robert Stephen Wicks, 50, died at his Newcroft Road home in Calne after battling chronic anxiety and other mental health problems for more than a decade.

An inquest in Salisbury was told on Tuesday (June 27) that Mr Wicks died a day before he was due to have a mental health assessment at the Green Lane psychiatric hospital in Devizes.

Mr Wicks was described as a “gentle soul who would not hurt a fly” by his family, who were critical of the care he received from the Trust.

Since his death, the Trust has produced two reports, the second with ten recommendations on how it will improve its service, the inquest heard.

The Trust has been approached for comment.

Members of Mr Wicks’ family told Wiltshire & Swindon’s senior coroner David Ridley they had “no interaction” with the Trust’s psychiatric team who did not seem to be worried about his mental health problems.

They told the inquest they had consistently warned the Trust of what Mr Wicks intended to do but it did not listen to their concerns.

His younger brother Stephen Wicks said: “We were never listened to. We were carers for Robert but our opinions and voices were never heard.

“There seems to be a level of nonchalance. I don’t think that we would benefit from anything they would have to say.”

Mr Wicks was found dead at his home at Newcroft Road in Calne on July 13 last year after attempts by relatives to contact him by phone and text messages received no response.

Mr Ridley said the medical cause of death was asphyxiation. Returning a verdict of suicide, he ruled that Mr Wick’s low mood and chronic anxiety in the final weeks of his life could have undoubtedly contributed to his death.

The inquest heard that Mr Wicks and his family had tried to fix an appointment for the assessment on July 12 but it was scheduled for the next day.

Mr Wicks had been treated for mental health problems since 2011 after his uncle emigrated to Australia and then his grandparents died.

The coroner said Mr Wicks had suffered from psychosis and chronic anxiety since his early 20s, exacerbated by substance misuse and periods of abstinence from drugs.

He had been a user of heroin and was being prescribed methadone and other prescription drugs for his anxiety by the Turning Point substance misuse service.

As his mental health deteriorated, Mr Wicks complained of hearing noises and ‘voices in his head’, leading to delusional thinking and fears that people were following him.

In the summer of 2021 his mental health worsened and he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. While in Suffolk, he had suffered an episode of paranoia, the inquest heard.

Mr Ridley said Mr Wicks had struggled with his health, tipping him into a transient delusional state. On July 11, he pleaded for his mother to text him, saying that no one would believe him.

On July 12, the AWMHP phoned to confirm he would be assessed the next day at Green Lane Hospital.

His mother also called to reassure him and later texted to offer advice and help to overcome his sleep deprivation.

The Samaritans’ helpline is available round the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It’s free to call them on 116 123. You don't have to be suicidal to call.