A MENTAL health trust has been rapped by a coroner for failing to provide information into patients’ deaths.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which runs mental health services across the county, only provided serious incident reviews into the deaths of four patients at the last minute, an inquest was told.

Brighton and Hove Assistant coroner Catherine Palmer said she was incensed at being provided a serious incident review into the death of patient David Rutty, of Hove, just five minutes before his inquest was due to be heard yesterday.

She said: “This is totally and utterly unacceptable.

“There have been three other cases before me recently where serious incident reviews have been provided late and I have had to chase reports. Those inquests were able to go ahead regardless.

“But I am not prepared to run this inquest on the basis of a document provided to me five minutes before we are due to start.”

Ms Palmer adjourned the inquest into Mr Rutty’s death until March 30.

She ordered the mental health trust to provide further statements from professionals involved in his care and to find out why he was never referred to a psychiatrist before his death.

Sussex Partnership’s lawyers apologised to Mr Rutty’s family and friends for not producing the documents in time.

Mr Rutty, 46, died in Hove on November 25.