Widow of owner Mustafa Khan calls for lessons to be learned over his death

The widow of racehorse owner Mustafa Khan has criticised the mental health hospital from which her husband was discharged and urged healthcare professionals to take notice of the findings of an inquest into his death.

Khan, a successful owner who along with his brother Murt had a string of horses with Jim Boyle, had a history of OCD and depression and was sectioned under the mental health act on February 6 last year. He was transferred to The Priory in London six days later. On February 21, having refused to take prescribed medication or engage with any therapy at the hospital, he was discharged and deemed at 'low risk' of suicide but took his own life three days later.

Following an inquest, the coroner ruled that discharge planning at the hospital was inadequate and that several opportunities were missed to reduce the risk of Khan committing suicide, including omitting to implement a care plan upon his release or provide an emergency contact to his family.

Khan's wife Vera said in a statement: "I was very confused why Mustafa was allowed to be discharged when it appeared he was not taking his medication and I did not think his condition was improving.

"I'm still in shock now about his death. All we wanted is for Mustafa to receive the help he needed so he could get better and come back home to his family.

"Our family can't understand how Mustafa was discharged from The Priory and wasn't considered at risk of harming himself despite being suicidal for several months and having not engaged in any treatment or therapy during his time at The Priory."

She continued: "Our only hope now is that the heartbreak our family has suffered highlights the need for those with mental health issues to receive the treatment they need.

"We hope that health trusts and hospitals continue to learn from the issues which have been highlighted at inquest to ensure other families are spared the pain we have to endure on a daily basis."

A spokesman for the hospital said: "We extend our deepest sympathies to Mr Khan's family. Patient safety remains our absolute priority and following the incident the hospital has strengthened its risk assessment and discharge policies and procedures.

"We will now carry out a further review in light of the inquest findings and carefully consider what additional changes are needed."

Twelve Strings, seen here ridden by ITV Racing pundit Rishi Persad in a charity race at the 2014 festival, raced in the silks of the Khan brothersCredit: Edward Whitaker

Starting in 2005, the Khan brothers, under the name M Khan x2, enjoyed several successful seasons, mostly with all-weather horses in training with Boyle and George Baker.

They had a total of 178 winners, Flat and jumps, in their purple-and-gold hooped silks, 29 of which came in their most successful Flat season in 2008.