INVESTIGATORS have slammed communication between police and hospital staff after a disturbed man fell to his death having being seen by police THREE TIMES earlier the same day.

Wayne Dyson, 44, fell from the eighth floor of a block of flats in Ashton under Lyne last year.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) criticised the muddled communication between police and health teams.

Mr Dyson, who had a history of mental health problems, had contact with Greater Manchester Police on three occasions on the day he died.

Police were called to Tameside General Hospital on February 18 by staff concerned about Mr Dyson's behaviour.

Officers found Mr Dyson, who was a voluntary patient, had calmed down and decided no action was required.

Released

But just after midday, police were called again after hospital staff said the patient was causing a disturbance. Police took him back to the station and he was released. But Mr Dyson walked into Ashton police station just before 2pm and threatened to throw himself off a motorway bridge.

Police spoke to him and drove him back to the hospital, watching him walk into the A&E department.

However, at 4.10pm the same day, Mr Dyson fell from the multi-storey Assheton correct House.

An inquest into the death gave a verdict of misadventure.

The case has been probed by the police watchdog and they have now ruled that the officers involved had dealt with Mr Dyson appropriately. But they said there had been a breakdown in communication between the officers and staff from Pennine Care.

Hospital staff told investigators they wanted police to temporarily remove Mr Dyson from the ward for a 'cooling off' period before returning him to hospital.

However, Naseem Malik, the IPCC commissioner, said the instructions had been confusing and that too much responsibility had been given to the officers.

Last-resort solution

She said: "Unfortunately the situation exists at present whereby police officers are seen as a last-resort solution when someone is displaying aggressive behaviour.

"I can understand the concerns of the medical staff involved in this situation, but I believe too much onus was placed on the police officers to deal with Mr Dyson. What he required was medical help, not a spell in a police cell.

"What needs to happen urgently is for a clear policy to be developed between Greater Manchester Police and local health services about the roles, responsibilities and expectations of all the agencies when dealing with people with mental health issues."

Chief Supt Dave Lea, from GMP, said: "Wayne's death was tragic and my thoughts and sympathies remain with his family at this difficult time.

"We acknowledge the necessity to further develop a clear policy that applies across the force area and takes into account both the findings of the IPCC and the emerging national guidance."