RELATIVES of a young suicide victim have demanded a full inquiry into the Hampshire psychiatric unit where he killed himself.

The family of Matthew McDonald called for a probe into the department of psychiatry at the Royal South Hants Hospital in Southampton after a jury ruled that staff could have done more to prevent his death.

The inquest heard that Mr McDonald died in a hospital shower after slitting his throat with a penknife.

The 29-year-old is one of four people to have apparently taken their own lives while receiving treatment at the department of psychiatry this year.

The verdict puts more pressure on hospital chiefs. In October the Daily Echo revealed details of an official document highlighting concerns about staff shortages - and the use of agency workers to fill them.

The leaked hospital memo included concerns about understaffing, a lack of continuity of care for patients and a lack of communication between staff and managers.

Mr McDonald, 29, had been receiving treatment for paranoid schizophrenia for varying periods of time on a voluntary basis at the unit's B ward since his first admission in May 2000 until his death on June 11 this year.

The inquest highlighted inadequacies in his treatment and left his family asking why he was allowed to keep a knife on the ward.

The court heard that Mr McDonald, whose family live in Portswood, had made two previous attempts to commit suicide, including one occasion when he tried to stab himself in the heart with a penknife.

Hospital staff told the court that searching voluntary patients for items such as knives is not in keeping with therapeutic treatment given to patients such as Mr McDonald.

Summing up the case Southampton coroner Keith Wiseman said: "There is clearly some difficulty in the recruitment of permanent staff."

Other concerns highlighted by Mr Wiseman on the final day of the week long inquest included:

Whether assessments into Matthew's condition properly reflected the risk he was in.

A failure to provide Matthew with a key worker or community psychiatric nurse for a "significant" period in 2003.

An injection of "vital" medication was given to Matthew three days later than it was due.

Gaps on medical assessment forms, where staff had left out details - such as the names of people attending meetings about Mr McDonald's care.

Mr McDonald had an honours degree in politics from Liverpool University and an MA in computing from Portsmouth University. A statement released by the McDonald family after the inquest said: "Matthew was a valuable member of society, who supported community projects, the peace movement and was active in several charities. His death by suicide, caused by schizophrenia is a terrible loss.

"Matthew knew he was desperately ill and admitted himself to hospital in May straight after a previous attempt to end his life. We respect the dedication of many of the staff, and believe that Matthew shared that view. "However, owing to a lack of suicide risk assessment skills and effective management throughout the hospital and community care system, he was not given the care and safety he was seeking.

"Matthew attended a MIND conference and marched through Cardiff to support a better deal for people with mental illness.

"If only the hospital regime in Southampton had had as much insight into their shortcomings as Matthew had into his illness, he might still be here today.

"The family support the hospital in overhauling its management, training and practice to ensure that patients with life threatening mental illness do not go into hospital to die, but to be treated and brought back to health. Greater investment in research also is needed urgently, to develop safer and more effective medication."