THE family of a ‘popular”, “charming” and “kind” man, who took his own life, have called for better support for those suffering with mental health problems following an inquest yesterday.
Guy Robert William Woods died on 9 September 2024, aged 68, at his home in St Lawrence.
Before his death in early September, Mr Woods’s daughter Serena Mathieu described how financial problems and a loss of a significant sum of money caused him to be visibly stressed, the inquest heard.
His mental health had visibly deteriorated in the last months of his life and he spent less time with his grandchildren and stopped exercising, she said.
Mrs Mathieu took her father to see a GP on two occasions, on 2 August and 9 August.
She told the inquest that she had been with her father at the first appointment and said he had explicitly spoken about suicide, adding that she had been designated a “safe person”. He later confided in her that he “could not see a way out”, she said.
At the second appointment, he seemed “better”, according to the GP.
On 20 August, Mr Woods was given a urgent referral to see the Crisis Team.
But after his assessment, Mrs Mathieu said “they simply left an extremely unwell and vulnerable person to be supported by me”.
“If there were support or adequate follow-ups, then I believe my father may not have taken his life.”
Speaking to the JEP, she added: “There are really important lessons to be learnt from this series of events. And there seems to be completely missing any kind of link-up of care between the GP and mental health [services], and a complete lack of support for the families.
“I would have liked the responsibility of care not to be placed on me. I’m not a medical professional.”
And she alleged that Crisis Team’s documentation referred to him as “Gary”.
The inquest heard that the Health Department had held a Local Incident Review, with recommendations on staff workload and follow-up processes.
The review ultimately found that processes were followed correctly, and that the the right referrals were made – to the Crisis team as well as to Jersey Talking Therapies.
Advocate Matt Berry, sitting as coroner, told the family: “I don’t think there is anything else you could have done.”
He highlighted that the GP did arrange a follow-up, adding: “It is difficult to see what [GP Dr Sajive Henry Paul] could have done at that point.”
He added: “The difficulty with suicide is the benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing. It’s not always possible to see when these things are going to arise.”
He described the follow-up appointment on 9 August as “positive”, and highlighted how quickly Mr Woods had been referred to the Crisis Team when he spoke about taking his own life.
Advocate Philip Sinel, representing Mrs Mathieu, said the family “weren’t given a care pack, they weren’t given advice, they weren’t given support”.
“There was no guidance for the family, and that’s a very big failing,” he said.
Mr Woods was described as a “popular” and “sociable” man.
His wife Sylvia recalled how he had “many friends because of his magnetic personality”. They lived together in Brittany and in Jersey and sailed in locations including the Bay of Biscay.
He was described as a “daring” skier who enjoyed socialising at the Yacht Club.
“We lived an idyllic life,” Mrs Woods said in a statement.
“How could this have happened to such a kind, generous and thoughtful man?”
Around 400 or 500 people attended his funeral, according to his family.
Mrs Mathieu added: “He was an extremely well-respected and well-liked person in the Island… Just a really charming and kind person.”
Advocate Matt Berry, sitting is coroner, ruled his death a suicide with a secondary cause of acute alcohol intoxication and extended his condolences to Mr Woods’s family.
