Man who claimed he was ‘assaulted’ by Wigan hospital security staff later died from massive drugs overdose

Steven Woodward, 49, was found unresponsive by his partner at their home in King Street, Ince, on the morning of Friday, January 13.

Paramedics were unable to save him and tragically Mr Woodward was pronounced dead. A post mortem found his death was directly caused by the toxic effects of non-prescribed morphine, which was contributed to by pre-existing medical conditions.

An inquest at Bolton coroners’ court heard that Mr Woodward had been with his partner Donna Miller for a period of 30 years. However his mental health had started to deteriorate after the death of his grandmother in 1996 – with whom he had been very close – and then of his mum a couple of years ago.

The inquest heard that he was on a range of prescribed drugs for health conditions such as epilepsy and asthma, but that he would also self-medicate with illicit drugs – chief among these was morphine, which he used for to treat back and knee pain.

In a written statement, Ms Miller said her partner had been under the care of the mental health team “for years” and he had also threatened to end his life many times.

Both she and Mr Woodward’s sister Sarah said in their statements that Mr Woodward should have been sectioned under the Mental Health Act after an earlier overdose of morphine in November of last year, which led to him being admitted to Wigan Infirmary.

While there, Mr Woodward claimed he had been “assaulted” by security staff, a charge denied by the hospital who said they were trying to restrain him after he began behaving in an “erratic and unstable” manner.

It was this experience which led to him refusing admission to hospital when he once again complained of low mood and suicidal thoughts in January following the breakdown of his long-term relationship. However mental health services declined to compel him by making him an involuntary patient.

A subsequent investigation by Greater Manchester Mental Health said an action plan had been formulated to improve practice, but no action by clinicians had caused or contributed to Mr Woodward’s death.

The coroner, Peter Sigee, recorded a narrative conclusion, saying it was not possible to determine Mr Woodward’s intention when he voluntarily consumed the morphine.