THREE mystery deaths in the space of four months at a mental health unit in Redruth are now under investigation.

The deaths of a 22-year-old man and two women aged 44 and 65 at Longreach House on the Camborne and Redruth Community Hospital site are not being treated as suicides and so far inquires have yielded no formal cause of death.

The Cornwall Partnership Trust, who run the centre, say that the deaths are unconnected but are now under joint investigation by the county coroner, the police and the Mental Health Act Commission.

Henry Gibb, 22, from Falmouth, died in his bed on June 25 after being detained under the Mental Health Act, 65-year-old Ann Buckfield died the following day in the shower and 44-year-old voluntary patient Carol Baker collapsed in a communal area in March. Dr Terry McClatchey, chairman of the Cornwall Partnership Trust, said the unexplained nature of the deaths was "concerning."

He said: "The police and the pathologist have looked at it and can't come up with anything. There are no common drugs. They were different ages and they did not know each other.

"We are feeling frustrated because we can't tell the families anything. We don't think it's suicide and we don't think it's homicide. We're all struggling to find out what's going on."

He added: "On behalf of the Trust I would like to express my sympathy to the patients' families and offer assurances that if mistakes were made, inadequate care provided, or we can improve any of the procedures used to monitor patients, we will make changes and learn from these tragic incidents."

One of the patients, Henry Gibb, was a "fit and active" young man who had only been in hospital for three days, according to his mother, who is accusing Longreach House of not monitoring the former Truro College student adequately on the night he died.

Mary Gibb said: "It is something that shouldn't have happened. I have seen his medical records. They did not go into his room for 13 hours. They say he was being monitored through a glass window but that isn't good enough.

"He is my son and I won't stop until my questions are answered. We don't feel we can bury him while there is still a police investigation going on."

She said Henry first became ill three years ago, but recovered and was working at the Falmouth Hotel as a barman until Christmas when he went into remission.

He was admitted on June 22 suffering with depression and symptoms of psychosis. "I saw him the night before it happened, he seemed well and he showed me around the hospital," said Mrs Gibb.

"The next day two doctors came to tell me what had happened. At first I thought they were there to discuss the treatment, then when they told me I was devastated. Absolutely shocked.

"Then I felt angry and I still do. Me and my family are angry because it is something that shouldn't have happened.

"When he was well he was popular and worked hard, he had so many things he had wanted to do," she said.

As well as his mother, Henry leaves behind a non identical twin brother James and an older sister Emily.

Mrs Gibb has contacted Falmouth and Camborne MP Candy Atherton in an attempt to speed up the process.

Mr McClatchey said Henry had been observed throughout the night on June 24 but said there would be an internal review of the care he had received both at home and after he was admitted to hospital in line with national procedure.

"At this stage it would be inappropriate to comment on any of these events until the coroners process has been completed," he said.

Cornwall Coroner Emma Carlyon said there was always a thorough investigation when somebody died whilst being detained under the Mental Health Act.

"All the inquests have been opened and adjourned for further inquiries alongside the Devon and Cornwall Police and the Mental Health Act Commission," she said.

The inquests are due to be held together at an undisclosed date next year.

Senior policy analyst at the Mental Health Commission, Mat Kinton, said they would be sending a commissioner to Longreach in the coming days to "look at the care, services and medication that the patient received while in the hospital."

He added this was standard procedure for the Commission to investigate any unnatural deaths after a patient had been detained under mental health legislation.

The 67-bed in-patient unit at Longreach was opened last August at a cost of £6.5 million to replace other hospitals around Cornwall including the former unit at Trengweath, Redruth.

Sgt Alan Mobbs confirmed the police role in the investigation. "We've been notified of the deaths and they are being investigated in conjunction with other agencies involved. In due course all the evidence will be presented to the coroner for an inquest at a later date."