A 7ft high-security-style fence is to be erected on the top floor of Poole Hospital’s multi-storey car park following the tragic death of a consultant.

Depressed psychiatrist Dr Peter Hardwick died of multiple injuries after plunging from the seventh floor ‘as a result of his own actions’, an inquest heard.

Now the hospital plans to erect the high-security, mesh fence within weeks in a bid to ensure there are no similar incidents in the future.

Respected child psychiatrist Dr Hardwick died on October 16 last year after becoming depressed when a teenage patient committed suicide, District Coroner Sheriff Payne was told.

The Bourne-mouth inquest heard the 66-year-old father-of-three jumped to his death after bec-oming wracked with guilt when his 16-year-old patient threw himself off a cliff in West Dorset. The coroner was told Dr Hardwick, of Greenhill Close, Wimborne was taken to Poole Hospital on October 15 after suffering a seizure and was found to have low sodium levels.

He was admitted to the Anstey unit and plans were made for him to see a psychiatrist the following day. But he went missing from the unit that evening and jumped from the top floor of the car park minutes later.

His family and friends told the inquest they believe more could have been done to protect the father-of-three. They said he was severely depressed and his mental health problems were not prioritised despite an attempt to leave the hospital by climbing over the railings just hours before he died.

But Mr Payne said: “Could matters have been better dealt with? No. I can’t criticise the hospital. I suggest that he waited for a moment when there was no supervision to get away from the ward. He was in the right place.”

Recording a narrative verdict, Mr Payne said he was unable to record a verdict of suicide because, ‘I have a reasonable doubt about his ability to make a clear and conscious decision to end his life’.

He said Dr Hardwick plunged from the car park ‘as a result of his own actions’ and added: “He was suffering from psychotic depression and confusion. This has caused doubt as to his intent.”

A statement from Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “We would like to extend our condolences to Dr Hardwick’s family. Patient safety is of paramount importance to the trust and we will shortly be upgrading the fencing on the top deck of our car park to fully enclose this area.”