Man with learning difficulties jumped to his death

The hearing in Newbury Town Hall was told that 59-year-old Clive Lister was found beneath the first floor balcony of his room at Duncan House at Purley Park Trust residential care home for adults with learning difficulties.
He told distraught staff who found him on the ground, around 21ft below the balcony railings: “I jumped.”
Mr Lister was airlifted to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford by the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance but succumbed to his injuries later the same day, October 17 last year.
Home staff member Rachel Keeling said Mr Lister was a popular resident since 1997 who was “quiet, polite and friendly,” who suffered from learning diffulties and affective bipolar disorder.
She said that he had married a fellow resident named Angela in 2006 but had been in the process of seeking a divorce.
Ms Keeling added: “He was very concerned about the affect his decision would have on Angela” and explained that Mr Lister had also been worried about confiding his decision to his parents.
A post mortem exmanination revealed Mr Lister died from multiple injuries but that he had also been suffering a severe urinary tract infection which would probably have caused confusion.
The inquest heard that staff were baffled by this because Mr Lister had not complained of any symptoms, despite needing to be catheterised daily following a failed operation on his urethra.
West Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford said he could not be sure what Mr Lister had intended when he jumped and recorded an open verdict.
Afterwards, Purley Park Trust chief executive Larry Grady said in a statement: “Clive was a kind, gentle and sensitive man who always had time for other people. His death was a devastating blow....since the incident we have been working closely with all of the relevant agencies to fully examine all of ther circumstances that led to his tragic death.
“These investigations were co-ordinated by West Berkshire Council...according to national protocols.”
He added that the council remarked upon the high standard of care and added: “While we will be making some changes as a result of the comprehensive reviews of our working practices, neither we nor other agencies have been able to identify anything that we could have done that would have prevented Clive’s death.
“The last thing I would like to add is that there has been no suggestion that there are any implications for other people we support, who continue to receive our committed support.”