The mother of a schizophrenic man whose death has sparked fresh criticism of the region's mental health services has described his care as "appalling".

Eliot Harris died at Northgate Hospital in Great Yarmouth in April 2020, with a two-week inquest into his death revealing that staff had falsified records of his observations.

Speaking after the hearing, Sally Harris, his mother, welcomed criticisms made by the inquest's jury.

She said: "I am disappointed that the inquest did not return a clear conclusion as to the cause of Eliot's death and feel that we have been left without many of the answers we deserve.

"I did not receive a letter informing me of Eliot's residence at Northgate until after his death and no explanation was provided for this.

"I am pleased, however, that the jury made several serious criticisms of the care that Eliot received at Northgate.

"I hope that lessons are learned from these criticisms so that standards are improved and no future patient is subject to the appalling level of care that Eliot received."

The case resulted in three members of staff at the hospital being dismissed from the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust introducing a swathe of changes to its practices.

The inquest also sparked further concerns around negative cultures at the trust.

Cath Byford, deputy chief executive of NSFT, said: “We would like to once again pass on our sincere condolences to Eliot’s family and apologise for the distress that his tragic loss has caused.

"We would also like to acknowledge how difficult it must have been for them to listen to the evidence at the inquest, especially as the hearing took place more than two years after Eliot’s death.

“The support we gave Eliot during his admission could and should have been better.

"We know that a poor culture had permeated good practice, in the absence of strong and stable leadership on the ward.

"We carried out an extensive internal investigation following Eliot's death and have made significant changes as a result."