A Slovenian waiter killed himself while being held in an immigration detention centre, an inquest jury has found.

Branko Zdravkovic, 43, had self-harmed while in detention and had problems with alcohol, Bournemouth coroner’s court was told. The jury returned a verdict of suicide.

Although detention centre staff recognised his vulnerability and put him on self-harm watch, no report was sent to the Home Office flagging up suicidal intentions, as required under guidance known as rule 35 (2) .

The assistant coroner, Stephen Nicholls, gave the Home Office 14 days to provide further evidence relating to concerns identified about non-compliance with rule 35 practices and other procedures around self-harm among immigration detainees.

Zdravkovic had completed a degree in hospitality services in Slovenia, spoke several languages and had been a ski instructor.

The Home Office said he was facing administrative removal because he was not exercising his treaty rights to work in the UK. But his lawyers dispute that claim, saying that, while his schedule was not always predictable, he worked for many of his eight years in London as a waiter in establishments including the House of Lords, the Guildhall and the Gherkin.

His partner, Nicola Sanderson, 53, said she was grief-stricken by Zdravkovic’s death, one of 11 in immigration detention centres last year, the highest annual total on record.

He was placed in the Verne immigration detention centre in Portland, Dorset, after Sanderson contacted police about him on 18 and 19 March 2017, because she was concerned about his mental health. He had been drinking heavily and she said he was “behaving oddly”. Officers arrested him and she hoped he would get the help he needed.

But she received a confused call from Zdravkovic two days later in which it emerged he had been placed in immigration detention by the Home Office.

The couple spoke regularly on the phone while Zdravkovic was detained and Sanderson told him on 8 April 2017 she had booked a train ticket from the home they shared in Notting Hill, west London, to see him the following day.

When Sanderson arrived at the Verne and told reception staff she had come to see her partner, she was kept waiting for 20 minutes. Then she was told she could not see him because he had killed himself the previous evening.

“The Home Office had my details as next of kin,” Sanderson said. “I don’t know why they didn’t tell me sooner what had happened to Branko. They didn’t even offer me a cup of tea when they broke the news to me that he had killed himself.

“I left the detention centre and got back on the train to London. I had a burning pain in my chest from the shock … I’m still in a state of grief about Branko’s loss. I hope no other family has to go through what I’ve been through.”

She questioned why someone as vulnerable as her partner was put in an immigration detention centre. “He was a happy, outgoing and positive person, was always well dressed and nice and polite,” Sanderson said. But she added that his drinking had become more problematic in December 2016.

“His death has been utterly devastating for me,” she said. “I’m concerned that those responsible for keeping him safe while he was in detention failed him. It is very depressing that we were not kept fully informed of the details of Branko’s detention. This lack of communication left him in a very isolated situation.”

Jane Ryan of Bhatt Murphy Solicitors, representing Sanderson, said: “It was horrifying that the inquest heard evidence that there is a practice of not doing the required statutory reports on detainees with suicidal intentions.

“The coroner has directed further evidence from the Home Office about the procedures for managing detainees at risk of self-harm within 14 days. This will be considered in accordance with the duty to prevent further deaths.”

Natasha Thompson, a caseworker at the charity Inquest, said: “An unprecedented number of people are dying in immigration detention centres. Support is growing for the call to end the use of immigration detention altogether. We believe this is the only way to prevent further deaths and suffering.”

The Home Office said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Zdravkovic’s family and friends at this time. We have noted the outcome of the inquest and will carefully consider the points made and the request of the coroner for further information.”

In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or emailjo@samaritans.org. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international suicide helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.