The senior coroner in Cornwall has raised concerns about long term problems with staff recruitment and bed availability in a report on the death of a prominent barrister.

Coroner Andrew Cox has written a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Health Secretary Victoria Atkins following an inquest into the death of former barrister Nicolas Gerasimidis last month.

Mr Cox said the 58-year-old lawyer from Porthleven had a history of mental illness manifesting as OCD and anxiety and in 2022 his condition deteriorated.

His GP referred him twice to the Community Mental Health team but the referrals were rejected with medication prescribed instead.

In May 2023 his condition worsened and it was felt an informal admission to hospital was needed but a bed was not available.

In June he killed himself at his home in Porthleven.

Mr Cox said the community mental health team has 'challenging staffing issues', no care coordinator was appointed owing to a shortage of staff, and the Trust has vacancies at consultant level.

Mr Gerasimidis family was also wrongly advised and psychological treatment had a waiting list of one year.

Mr Cox - who recorded a suicide conclusion - said: "The difficulties with staff recruitment and bed availability are long term problems in the Cornwall coroner area.

"The Patient Safety Review suggests Cornwall has fewer beds for its population than other areas. It is the persistent or recurring nature of these concerns that leads me to believe action should be taken."

At the Truro inquest, Mr Gerasimidis' family said his treatment by mental health services had been 'abysmal' saying he had fallen into a 'mental health abyss'.