Parents' heartbreak after son plunges to death from Chesterfield car park

Jamie Ormiston, who had a history of mental health issues, plunged from the Vicar Lane multi-storey car park last summer.

On Friday, an inquest jury ruled that the 39-year-old, of Longcroft Avenue, Dronfield, committed suicide while the balance of his mind was disturbed.

His parents Roderick and Ann said: “He was highly intelligent, extremely funny, very popular, very caring, sensitive and polite.

“He was the life and soul of the party.

“People still burst into tears when they talk or think about him.

“He was a lovely, lovely young man and left a wonderful impression on so many people.

“To say he’s sorely missed is a gross understatement.”

Mrs Ormiston added: “The consequences of mental health problems can be just tragic.”

Chesterfield coroners’ court heard Mr Ormiston was a patient of the Hartington Unit at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

He was granted leave from the unit on the morning of June 10 and travelled by bus into Chesterfield town centre before the tragedy happened.

Sarah Butt, a mental health nurse and assistant director of clinical practice and nursing at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said he was assessed face-to-face by a nurse before being allowed to leave the site.

She added: “All nursing staff didn’t feel (suicide) risks were present at the time of his death.”

She added that he had ‘individualised care to the highest standard’.

The court heard Mr Ormiston, who was afraid of heights, died on the way to hospital in Sheffield after suffering a heart attack caused by a loss of blood due to multiple injuries.

Jurors were told Mr Ormiston, who suffered from bipolar disorder, had tried to commit suicide on two previous occasions and had a history of not taking his medication.

His father said: “There should be better ways to ensure patients take their medication.”

Mrs Butt said nurses can forcibly give medication intramuscularly – but ‘this is the last thing they want to do’.

Mr Ormiston’s parents said they were full of praise for the nursing staff who looked after their son.

• Rethink Mental Illness offers support and advice for people living with mental illness. Call 0300 5000 927 or visit www.rethink.org

• If you need someone to speak to in confidence, call the Samaritans on 116 123 or email [email protected]