A man suffering from depression hanged himself from the radiator of his room in a mental health unit.

Roy Edmondson, 42, a patient at Orchard Lodge in Warwick Road, Banbury, was found by a nursing assistant with a television cable tied around his neck at about 5.10am on September 15 last year. Attempts by nursing staff and paramedics to resuscitate him failed.

Andrew Cashmore, the ward manager, said Mr Edmondson had been placed under constant observation when he was transferred to Orchard Lodge, but checks had been reduced to 15-minute intervals when his care was reviewed two days before he died.

Mr Cashmore said: "He said he felt he had got no privacy at all. Even when he was watching television, there was someone in the room with him and he knew they were watching him rather than the television, which made him feel very uncomfortable." The court heard that after the observation levels were reduced Mr Edmondson felt happier.

Alan Archibald, a senior staff nurse, said new procedures had been introduced since Mr Edmondson's death to ensure all checks were logged and placed on file.

Oxfordshire coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded a verdict that Mr Edmondson took his own life. He said: "I am pleased to know that a proper log is now kept of patient observations. There is no point putting people under observations if you do not know if the procedure is being followed or not."