A loving father has been found dead just 24 hours after he is claimed to have been refused a hospital bed for his severe mental health problems.
Matthew Salisbury, who had been complaining of suicidal thoughts, had pleaded with staff at Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen, to be admitted under the Mental Health Act, according to his devastated wife Tara Salisbury.
But she claimed he was turned away and told he would be referred to a psychiatrist in a few weeks' time.
The 34-year-old was discovered dead in Carmarthen on Monday, May 27.
He leaves behind a two-year-old daughter Alysia, along with two stepchildren, Jessica, 11, and Abigail, seven.
Hywel Dda University Health Board, which is responsible for the hospital, has now launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Tara, from Crymych, claimed: "He went to the hospital as a final attempt to seek the help he desperately needed, which for someone in his state is extremely difficult.
"What he got was a sympathetic ear and the same referral he would have received from a GP."
She said she believed that, had they have treated it as an emergency and admitted him for immediate help, "like he wanted - he would still be alive."
Tara, who married Matthew two years ago, said her husband had first sought help for depression in October, 2018.
"He was given medication, and then two or three months ago the dosage was upped," she added.
"He was also due to see a psychiatrist, but he took a pretty bad turn and wasn't able to see them."
Tara said she accompanied Matthew to the A&E department of Glangwili Hospital on the evening of Saturday, May 25, after he repeatedly threatened to take his own life.
"A doctor told us that if it ever got to a stage where he threatened to take his own life, we should go to A&E - so that's what we did," she added.
"The Mental Health Act 1983 states that if a person is a danger to themselves, they should be admitted - even if this is against the person's will - to protect them from harming themselves."
Despite having a 20-minute chat with a mental health nurse around two hours after arriving in A&E, Tara claims Matthew was told that there was no bed for him.
She claimed they were told that mental health work was now done in the community, so Matthew couldn't be admitted, just referred.
"I was absolutely gobsmacked. He kept on saying that if he wasn't admitted that he was going to kill himself, yet the best they could do was give him a warm cup of tea, a nice smile and send him on his way."
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Upon their return home, Tara said she tried desperately to convince Matthew to change his mind about killing himself.
"He wanted to be dead right there and then. He'd done what everybody had told him to do and still hadn't been given any help," Tara said.
"He got up on the Sunday morning, said goodbye to everyone and left. I hoped that when he left he would just have a think and not go through with it.
"But when he didn't return I called all his friends and family.
"When someone talks about killing themselves sometimes it's just a cry for help - in his case no-one answered."
Police found Matthew dead in his car just outside Carmarthen in the early hours of Monday morning.
"It doesn't even feel like it has sunk in yet," said Tara.
"He was a loving father and my best friend.
"He just didn't give up on anything - but everyone has their limits."
Joe Teape, director of operations and deputy chief executive of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “On behalf of the health board I would like to pass on our sincere condolences to Mr Salisbury’s family following this tragic incident, and in line with our serious incident review protocols I can confirm that we have launched a clinical review into the circumstances surrounding his death.
"The health board will contact the family and invite them to meet with us as part of this process."
Anyone seeking help can call Samaritans free on 116 123 or visit Samaritans.org
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