General Chat

Suicidal man hanged himself from noose which nurses didn't remove as it was against NHS policy

The mental health worker told an inquest that the rules prevented him from tampering with a patient’s property.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bryan-jobson-inquest-suicidal-man-1862706

R.I.P. Bryan

Mental health is a huge post code lottery. Northamptonshire was absolutely brilliant 10 years ago. Apparently Vale of Glamorgan was pretty good. But my area (Taff Ely) was so bad 5 years ago that I had to make detailed notes and involve my local MP to try to resolve some issues. I have to say that this incident could happen in all 3 areas - and a lot of these rules do work against customers/clients. You are not allowed to catch an elderly person falling out of bed, for example - you might damage your back.

Mental health is largely out of sight, out of mind (sic). Health authorities can get away with almost any bad practice they want. I do not know what the answer is, but I do feel it is an area where you need older and more local nurses and care assistants. People with strong accents foreign to that area and people with poor command of the language of the customer just creates very frustrating barriers. Did you say? Did you mean?

well having worked in our local psychiatric hospital for night on thirty years I can say that this would not have occurred there - Cardiff and Vale Health Authority

there were occasions when patients tragically hanged themselves, but used items which were not considered dangerous at the time - a hair dryer flex once I recall

Whilst it's sad this sort of thing happens and tragic for his family if someone is determind to commit suicide they will regardless of who does or doesn't do what ever.

This is just another one of those cases where people feel someone ELSE is to blame

(The blame culture we live in today)

Roy

I agree that if someone is determined to commit suicide, that they will in many cases, given the opportunity, succeed.

However, where individuals such as the mental health workers in this case, had a duty of care, and were aware that the individual was clearly a danger to himself, they should have taken all possible steps necessary to ensure that the individual was protected from his own actions. I suggest one step would have been to arrange for him to be sectioned.

Roy - The blame culture we live in today :-S

So that "blame culture" is why the West Yorkshire Coroner recorded a narrative verdict and said: “Bryan was the victim of lamentable failures.”

OFITG, Being sectioned is no guarantee that he would not have still committed suicide.

As for the Coroner, He is doing his job within the rules, laws and guidelines available to him, The blame culture is part of that same system,

victim of lamentable failures?

lamentable
Adjective
1.(of circumstances or conditions) Deplorably bad or unsatisfactory: "the squalid facilities were lamentable".
2.(of an action or attitude) Unfortunate; regrettable

So is he blaming the system/rules or the nurses?

One things for sure he is "blaming" some thing



Roy

I knew of somebody who tried to hang themselves and when they were taken to the psychiatric hospital they were given back the dressing gown cord that they tried to hang themselves with!!

Jules

that would not have happened here either.

what did he hang himself with? :-(

I was surprised that both men had been sacked for "following the rules". But apparently they omitted to tell their superior, so that must be reason they are both out of work.

Suzanne. Think it said in my paper he had a very professional noose made out of rope upstairs. The nurses tried to cut it, but the man told them to leave it, that it was his property and that he wasn't going to use it.

Dear One Foot

Hello


I would just say it would be better if so-called mental health experts actually helped practically BEFORE a suicide happens.

Almost every week, yet another theory is put forward as to the
cause of mental illness, most of which are rubbish.

Sometimes, just by talking to a decent human being in confidence
or receiving practical help, by way of advocacy or advice, can make a real difference.


Take gentle care
Sincere wishes
EOS
xx

There's 'following the rules' and using common sense.
Common sense appears to be overruled by 'following the rules' in many aspects of life.

If this person was a self- harmer who had previously tried to cut his wrists, would they have left a carving knife with him, as it was 'his property'?

Elizabethofseasons - I agree with you that there are to many so-called mental health experts.

I think that for to long the way to deal with mental health problems has been the "keep taking the pills approach" and I don't believe that pills are always the best solution.

Perhaps if more concentration and resources were to be placed on providing one to one counseling and group therapy, these could prove to be more beneficial.

There has been a programme on TV, l think its called Prison, or the Prisoner. A young girl called Jade frequently tried to hang herself, using the strips from the curtains in her cell. The staff are not allowed to search her for strips, they can remove the one round her neck, l don't think they could even remove the curtains, what was left of them!!
Absolutely health and safety and human rights gone mad!!

jude