A man who was "the life and soul of the party" died after struggling with his mental health as well as drug and alcohol addiction, an inquest heard.

Jack Walton, 34, died at an address on Hazel Avenue, Stoneclough, in May this year.

An inquest at Bolton Coroners Court on Wednesday heard that Jack had been an inpatient at two mental health treatment facilities run by Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) and had been in touch with its substance abuse recovery programme, Achieve.

The inquest heard that Jack had been diagnosed with mixed anxiety and depressive disorder, had struggled with his mental health since his teenage years, and "had a long history of self-harm".

Jack's father, David Walton, said: "He was a very bubbly character, everyone seemed to like him.

"He was the life and soul of the party whether it was a family party or someone else's party. He got on with everyone."

Mr Walton told the court that he took his son, who also lived with his parents in Swinton, to A&E on several occasions, including Salford Royal Hospital, where he had three sessions on the Meadowbrook Unit, an inpatient mental health ward, before being discharged.

After being discharged, Jack's parents said he continued without support from mental health services, and because he was an adult, they were not privy to information regarding his condition.


Mr Walton told the court that Jack was taken to A&E once again in November 2022 after which he was offered a bed at the Chapman Barker Unit in Prestwich, for adults who have alcohol or drug dependence, where he responded "really well" to treatment.

Mary Abberton, ward manager at the Chapman Barker unit, said that Jack completed the unit's seven-day alcohol detox programme. She explained that the unit offers 28 beds for planned admissions and a further eight beds for referrals through A&E.

She said the unit is a unique facility in Greater Manchester, taking in patients from the 10 boroughs and from across the country. She added that demand for beds were high.

Thomas Neville, a criminal justice recovery coordinator and Jack's case manager, said he was referred to Achieve for a second time after leaving the Chapman Barker Unit.

He said he lost contact with Jack in January and February this year, before a final meeting took place in April this year, the month before his death.

Pathologist Dr Patrick Waugh reported the cause of death as hanging.

But Mr Walton said he did not believe his son intended to take his own life.

He said: "Jack is someone who wanted to live.

"He seemed to be quite forward looking, he was talking about the future."

Assistant coroner for Manchester West, Simon Nelson, said he was satisfied that there was no third party or criminal involvement in Jack's death.

However, he added that he did not believe that Jack intended to take his own life and ruled his death as misadventure.

"I believe that Jack's death was wholly unintentional and wholly unexpected," he added.

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