Almost one year ago, Beth McEwan's world was shattered when her husband Grant, a man she had known for 20 years, was suddenly gone.

Key points: Widow Beth McEwan wrote to the Health Minister after her husband's death, pleading for more out-of-hospital services in regional areas

Widow Beth McEwan wrote to the Health Minister after her husband's death, pleading for more out-of-hospital services in regional areas In Queensland, the suicide rate has been trending upwards over the last decade, peaking in 2017 at 804 deaths in one year alone

In Queensland, the suicide rate has been trending upwards over the last decade, peaking in 2017 at 804 deaths in one year alone Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates says regional areas are in desperate need for better out-of-hospital services

"We were young, we had a house, we had a dream," she said.

"Grant was happy — our lives were really good and then all of a sudden, literally everything was turned upside down."

Ms McEwan said while Grant had been struggling with depression, she believed he fell through the cracks while navigating the mental health system in their regional city of Toowoomba on Queensland's Darling Downs.

"I've heard of three other suicides on the Darling Downs since Grant died — it's made me more determined to see change," Ms McEwan said.

Hospital 'just didn't think he was suicidal'

Ms McEwan said her husband's mental health began declining under the strain of his work, but suddenly took a turn for the worse in the July school holidays last year.

"I actually had to call in the police because he went missing that day — he turned up just when he realised the police were getting ready to do a search party to go find him," she said.

She said police escorted him to the Toowoomba Hospital, but staff were reluctant to admit him.

"We had a six-hour assessment where they still weren't sure if they were going to actually check him in or not," she said.

"He was just at the lowest point I have ever seen him … and I had to beg the hospital to actually take him in — they just didn't think he was suicidal."

Beth McEwan believes her husband could have been saved if there had been other services available. ( ABC News: Josh Bavas )

Mr McEwan spent several days at the hospital, before checking himself into the private St Andrew's Toowoomba Hospital after finding the secured public facilities overbearing.

Within three months, his mental health declined again and he tried to secure a place at the private hospital, only to find there were no beds available.

"He did not want to go back to the Toowoomba Hospital — he said it was jail, he hated being locked up, he hated feeling like everything was out of his control," she said.

"He liked St Andrews I think because he had a bit more freedom to come and go as he liked."

Two days later, her 36-year-old husband took his own life.

Grant McEwan with his two children. ( Supplied: Beth McEwan )

'You've literally got no option'

Ms McEwan said she believed her husband could have been saved if there were other services available to help monitor his condition and offer out-of-hospital care.

"I feel Grant hated the Toowoomba Hospital so much that he'd already decided that he would never go back there and I think that was a big factor," she said.

"We're 20 minutes from Toowoomba here and we're supposed to have access to everything that's supposed to help people in these situations and we were still left floundering in the middle.

"The Toowoomba Hospital didn't suit, St Andrew's wasn't available — I honestly don't know how regional areas do it.

"You've literally got no option, it's 'jail', St Andrew's, or nothing."

Grant and Beth McEwan on holidays in the US. ( Supplied )

New program to monitor patients in critical months

The state and federal governments are now in the process of funding a new Beyond Blue program aimed at filling the void in the first three months after a patient leaves hospital.

The Way Back support service is expected to be rolled out in up to 25 locations in the coming months, including on the Darling Downs.

Dr Grant Blashki from Beyond Blue said it would help keep track of patients in the most critical time.

"The whole approach is to give people a support coordinator who can follow them up, make sure they can reconnect to all their supports, make sure they go to all their appointments and things, and we think this is a really valuable way to help reduce suicide rates," Dr Blashki said.

"We call this approach 'coordinated after-care' and there's a lot of evidence that this can reduce suicide rates. Some of the studies are showing a reduction of 20 per cent.

"In Australia we've still got a long way to build our mental health system, and what we've got at the moment is a real gap after that tertiary intense care, people going back out into the community, so we think the Way Back is a really good step to try and fill that gap."

Dr Grant Blashki says the Way Back program will help keep track of patients in the most critical time. ( ABC News: Billy Draper )

Ms McEwan wrote to Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles after her husband's death, pleading for more services across the region.

Mr Miles acknowledged Ms McEwan's plea.

"The strain and frustrations Ms McEwan is experiencing is understandable," Mr Miles said.

"The Government will continue to work to tackle suicide in our communities and provide more support to those who need it.

"I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Ms McEwan and her family for the loss of her husband.

"Suicide rates in Queensland are higher than the national average, and that is not acceptable."

In Queensland, the rate has been trending upwards over the last decade, peaking in 2017 at 804 deaths in one year alone.

The State Government recently launched a policy to halve the suicide rate by 2026.

Under current guidelines, all mental health facilities in Queensland Hospitals are secured.

A spokeswoman for the Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service said the department was saddened to learn of Mr McEwan's death.

"Our Acute Mental Health Unit is an emergency facility focussed on both the safety of our patients and our staff," she said.

"This means that the facility is secure to ensure clinicians can provide safe and appropriate care to patients.

"We aim to provide an environment that is both clinically suitable, but also is supportive of a patient's recovery.

"When a patient is determined to have clinical capacity to be discharged, we work through a detailed discharge summary to support them back into the community, often with the support of primary health clinicians or organisations.

"There has been a lot of work done between Darling Downs Health and community-based primary health organisations to ensure strong clinical support between the emergency care we provide, and the ongoing care needed in the community."

'There needs to be something in the middle'

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates said regional areas were in desperate need for better out-of-hospital services.

"At the moment most people with mental health concerns go to an emergency department and that's not necessarily the best place to be — only the most acute tend to be admitted into the psychiatric intensive care units," she said.

"Then you've got people who are crying out for help who are not admitted and where do they go to?

"There needs to be something in the middle — things like step-up or step-down facilities where you can be admitted into a facility where you're safe, you can have your medications looked at, your family knows you're safe, but you're not in an acute mental health facility."