A MAN who died of a cardiac arrest shortly after being restrained by police had a “history of not engaging” in appointments concerning his ongoing health problems, an inquest has heard.

Gwent Police officers arrived at Mouayed Bashir’s family home in Newport on February 17, 2021, following a call from his parents concerned about his condition.

Inside his “barricaded” upstairs room, the 29-year-old was lying on the floor and screaming, with his head inside an open wardrobe, and kicked at an officer when they tried to approach, the inquest at Newport Coroners Court heard.

Today, January 16, the court heard Mr Bashir felt he had been “burying his head in the sand” about his mental health and suffered problems with his right knee, for which doctors prescribed painkillers.

Jurors also heard that Mr Bashir had a history of drugs misuse and had previously received support from the voluntary Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service, though was not involved at the time of his death.

'Been on a bit of a bender'

Exactly 13 months before Mr Bashir’s death, January 17, 2020, his father Mamoun Bashir claimed his son had threatened to hurt himself with a knife.

The family’s GP, Bellevue Group Practice, tried to contact Mr Bashir directly. He returned their call three days later, explaining he had been on a “bit of a bender” before the weekend and assuring them his parents’ concerns were “over-exaggerated”.

The following January, he attended the Royal Gwent Hospital with a wound to his upper thigh and groin area and was transferred to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

GP staff tried to call Mr Bashir four times on February 2, 2021, after arranging an appointment the previous day but had no response.

Dr Bethan Yeoman said she reached Mr Bashir’s phone on February 11, 2021, with only 20 minutes until the GP’s closing time.

She told the jury how she had reassured the Newport resident about the way his wound was healing and offered him a face-to-face appointment the following day.

'What can we do to help?'

At this point, Mr Bashir accepted the doctor’s explanation and opened up about his anxiety after being stabbed a few weeks prior and fear he could be the subject of another attack.

Dr Yeoman recalled how Mr Bashir’s answers had been “rushed” but coherent and she was satisfied he was surrounded by supportive family members and had no plans to hurt himself.

Mr Bashir spoke to another practitioner over the phone on February 15, 2021, just two days before his death. The call ended abruptly after the practitioner asked: “What can we do to help?”

Post-mortem toxicology reports found diazepam and olanzapine in Mr Bashir’s body which had not been prescribed by GPs or specialist services. They also found naloxone, which is given for reversing the effects of opioids like heroin and codeine, and paracetamol.

Dr Yeoman told jurors the Bellevue practice held a “serious events analysis” following Mr Bashir’s unexpected death and agreed to increase their use of the health board’s text messaging service as opposed to leaving voicemails when patients do not answer their phones.

Following these discussions, the staff templated a message for patients deemed to be in crisis, which remains in use today.

They agreed they would not have sent the crisis text to Mr Bashir in relation to their concerns in January and February 2021.

The hearing continues.