Open verdict in Castlebar man’s inquest

EXTENDED SYMPATHY Coroner for south Mayo, John O’Dwyer.

Coroner and HSE disagree over ruling

AN inquest into the death of a 57-year-old man who was a patient of Mayo Mental Health Services has returned an open verdict.
The male, who was found with stab wounds to his neck, torso and abdomen on October 6, 2015 was first referred to the Mayo Mental Health Services on January 12, 2015 and was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and was not seen as a risk to himself.
Yesterday’s (Monday) inquest heard from various staff from the service who were all in agreement that they were shocked to hear of the male’s death on October 7. The last contact the male had with the service was on October 5, via a telephone call, and it had been arranged that he would attend an appointment on October 21.
Sandra Morley, psychiatric nurse at the service, told the inquest that she rang the patient on October 5 and he said he could not talk as he was in the company of his brother and on October 7 she was notified of his death.
Asked by Coroner John O’Dwyer if the male’s death came as a shock to her and if it was foreseen, Ms Morley said she was ‘very shocked and saddened’ by the news and said it was not at all foreseen.
She said the male was identified as ‘low risk’. It was heard that he suffered from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and suffered seizures and shortness of breath and that he was concerned about his physical health and felt he was not getting better.
The inquest heard that the male had a ‘passive death wish’ on June 7, 2015 when he mentioned he was ‘fed up feeling like this’.
In a meeting with Dr Oisin Mangan the following day the male mentioned he would be ‘better at the bottom of a lake’ but said he regretted saying this and that he would never go through with it. Dr Mangan said he felt the male was at low risk of suicide and he was ‘absolutely’ surprised on hearing of the patient’s death.

No evidence
Clinical Nurse Manager, Clifford Liverpool, said he met with the patient on April 9 and 21 and on both occasions he presented with no evidence of suicidal or psychotic features.
Mr Liverpool rang the male on October 2 to offer nursing support and received information of his passing on October 7.
Though an internal review of the patient’s death had taken place and the inquest had been adjourned to yesterday’s date to allow for this, representations for the HSE said the inquest was not the correct forum for details of the review to be heard.
Mr O’Dwyer detailed that the cause of the man’s death was stab wounds to the abdomen with the contributing factor being the anticoagulant (blood thinner) medication - Warfarin.
Mr O’Dwyer said he had not ‘a scintilla of evidence’ that the death of the male was suicide.
Representation for the HSE and Mayo Mental Health Service entered a legal submission to the verdict claiming that Mr O’Dwyer could record a verdict of ‘self-inflicted death’. However, Mr O’Dwyer said though the wounds were self inflicted, there was no evidence that he intended to commit suicide. The family of the male were extended sympathies by the coroner, An Garda SióchΡna and Mayo Mental Health Unit.