A PATIENT in the midst of a mental health episode climbed out of a window at Basildon Hospital before being talked down during an “hour-long” stand-off. 

The family of the man has raised serious concerns around health and safety precautions at the hospital after the man – aged over 60 and with limited mobility – managed to escape out of the window. 

The family claim he climbed out of the window and on to the roof, but the hospital has disputed this, claiming he only accessed scaffolding around the hospital. 

Police and fire services were called to the hospital at about 2.30pm on Tuesday after the man escaped through a window.

“We want to know how this was allowed to happen,” a member of the family told the Echo.

“We feel we have been let down by the hospital, who should have been keeping him safe.”

The family say the patient was “on the roof” for at least an hour before being coaxed down to safety.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “We were called to Basildon Hospital at around 2.30pm on May 2 following a concern for safety report. The man involved was bought to safety.”

A spokesman for Essex Fire and Rescue Service added: “Firefighters were called to assist the police at Basildon Hospital on May 2 at 3pm.”

In January of last year, 43-year-old father-of-four Aaron Deeley fell from a Southend Hospital window and died, with his family claiming he was left unsupervised despite assurances “he would be under 24-hour supervision”.

Mr Deeley, who was suffering from depression and had been admitted a few days earlier following an attempted overdose, was left alone in his third-floor room before plunging to his death.

Mid and South Essex NHS Trust, which runs both hospitals, opened a subsequent investigation into safety standards.

In July 2010, Robin Blowes, from Blackmore, died after falling from a second-floor window in the Edmund Stone ward of Southend Hospital following an operation.

Diane Sarkar, chief nursing and quality officer for Mid and South Essex NHS Trust, said: “The patient was safely removed from scaffolding, without injury, and the incident is currently being investigated. Ward staff spoke with the family following what happened and we’d ask them to get in touch with our patient advice and liaison service team to talk through any of their concerns.”