YOUR SAY: Suicide of Royal Bolton Hospital nurse

Samuel Illingworth took his own life after struggling to deal with stress at work.

An inquest this week heard Mr Illingworth had 12 bouts of illness within a six-month period and had been prescribed two types of antidepressant.

READ MORE: Royal Bolton nurse hanged himself after months of work stress

The inquest was told that Mr Illingworth had found his new job as a nurse, on the C3 ward at the Royal Bolton Hospital, “stressful” and that he did not “feel supported”.

This is a sample of what our readers had to say:

Cathy Howell Williams said on Facebook: “So sad, have to say, I worked at the same hospital and suffered with depression.

“My line manager recognised it before I did. I had so much support from them. RIP.”

One comment on the Bolton News website, said: “Poor man, it is a dreadful place to be and the sufferer must feel so alone and so vulnerable, may he rest in peace now and may his family be comforted and supported.”

Another reader said: “Chronic staff shortages are a constant problem in the NHS.

“This puts intolerable pressure on others. The workload is scandalous.”

One reader said: “My mum was a nurse for ten years at a different hospital and had the exact same issues.”

Rebecca Walker said on Facebook: “Such a shame a waste of a dedicated young man. Thoughts with his family.

“Worked for this trust for eight years and through that period having to have time off due to stress and mental health issues.”

On our website, Red September felt strongly at where the blame lay.

They said: “I’m burning with rage at our heartless society. A young man who had grown up in an uncaring environment, offered little support found his existence so deplorable that he took his own life.

“We are all to blame for this and the many other needless loss of lives around the world. We put incompetent and corrupt politicians in power that suck all hope out of our lives.”

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“First and foremost my thoughts are with friends and family. My partner is a nurse and the stress she has to deal with is unbelievable, most of which does not arise from the job itself, but internal politics, bully tactics from her ward manager, shifts being given no more than three weeks in advance.

“The toxic environment and disregard for any work/life balance adds to an already difficult role. My Mum was a nurse ten years before her, at a different hospital, and had the exact same issues. It must be an NHS culture thing and senior management must be aware and be happy for this to continue.”