A successful mental health boss had struggled to cope with the stresses of his Bradford job before he was found drowned in a reservoir on remote moorland, an inquest heard.

Father-of-two Neil Bryson, who had survived job cuts at Bradford District Care Trust, felt lucky to still have a job – despite a sideways move – but had been working with new people in a new environment and was not enjoying it, his wife Janice Bryson told the inquest yesterday.

He had been head of operations for older people’s mental health services but then moved to a new role as Bradford East locality service manager Mrs Bryson said they had led a “simple and hassle-free life” together at their home in Wadland Grove, Scholes, near Holmfirth, and her husband had coped well with hard work and challenges in the past.

But, after a lot of “unpleasantness” and job losses at the Bradford Trust, he started drinking more than usual and could sometimes be argumentative., the inquest heard.

Mrs Bryson said she had started to find lager cans around the house.

The Huddersfield inquest heard, when he was not himself, he had stormed out of the house and gone to Whitby where he had stood on the cliffs. After that the couple had agreed not to drink at home.

During a holiday to Turkey in 2012 they had talked about him getting a new job.

Returning from the break, he did go on to get a new job which was due to start at a hospital in Barnsley in the New Year.

But on November 27 last year Mr Bryson left the house for work, giving his wife “a bigger kiss than normal”. It was the last she saw of him.

After speaking to human resources at his work the next day when he failed to come home, Mrs Bryson reported him missing to police.

That sparked weeks of extensive searches on moorland and reservoirs near where his car was found parked close to Yate Holme Reservoir – about one and a half miles from where his body was eventually found on January 27 this year by a walker who alerted a gamekeeper.

Mr Bryson, whose sons are in their 20s, had to be identified by his fingerprints which were matched to fingerprints taken from his CDs and other belongings at home.

There had been no signs of trauma or assault and neither drugs nor alcohol were found in his system, said assistant deputy Bradford coroner Tim Ratcliffe.

He recorded a verdict of suicide.

He said: “Neil was successful in his career in the NHS. It was a stressful job. It seems he had taken those stresses and strains but coped less well latterly.”

And he added: “It’s clear to me beyond reasonable doubt that Neil carried out an act intended by him to bring about his death.

“The temperature of the water at that time suggests his death would have been mercifully quick.”

After the inquest Nicola Lees, deputy chief executive at Bradford District Care Trust, said: “Issues of staff well-being are extremely important to us.

“All staff and their families can access our Employee Assistance Programme which offers free and confidential support by trained counsellors for any difficulties they are experiencing. The service can also guide staff to more specialist support if needed.

“We understand changes can be difficult for staff and we have put a number of initiatives in place to support them through organisational change.

“This includes a training course to help staff develop techniques to manage pressure in their lives. We also offer all managers ongoing training, appraisal and coaching to make sure they are supported in their existing and new roles.”