My Danielle was left on her own to die
HSE apologises after suicide of sister of young man killed in brutal assault
THE HSE has apologised to the family of a young psychiatric patient who took her own life while being treated at a high observation unit four years ago.
Danielle Creighton, 24, whose brother Dale was killed ten years ago after a violent and prolonged assault, died while under the care of doctors at the HSE-run Aspen psychiatric unit at Tallaght University Hospital on October 21, 2020.
An inquest into her death at Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard concerns from her family about the care she received as a psychiatric patient.
Her father Darren Creighton, who did not attend the inquest, had previously claimed in a newspaper interview that he believed the violent death of her only sibling was a factor in her suicide.
Dale Creighton was assaulted on a footbridge in Tallaght in the early hours of January 1, 2014, in an attack that lasted 14 minutes.
He died in hospital the following day from blunt force injuries to his face and head.
In a statement yesterday, the HSE’s head of service for Dublin South, Kildare and West Wicklow Community Healthcare, Mary O’Kelly, expressed regret and sadness at the young woman’s death.
She unreservedly apologised for the standard of care provided to
Danielle, of Glenshane Grove, Tallaght, which she acknowledged was not the standard which was considered ‘appropriate’.
Danielle’s mother Rhoda Creighton told the hearing yesterday her daughter had been transferred to TUH from St James’s Hospital on October 20, 2020.
She complained that she had not been told that Danielle had also tried to take her own life while in St James’s on the day before her suicide.
Ms Creighton also claimed her daughter was being monitored every 30 minutes, when she understood that she was to be observed on a 24-hour basis.
She said: ‘Danielle was left on her own.’
However, the inquest heard that continuous CCTV monitoring was available after Danielle was placed in an isolation ward within the psychiatric unit at TUH under hospital protocols while she was being tested for Covid.
Although Danielle had her shoes, shoelaces and phone charger taken away from her on admission to TUH for her own safety, evidence was heard that part of a piece of clothing that she was wearing was found near her body.
The inquest heard from a number of psychiatric nurses that Danielle appeared anxious and paranoid on her admission to TUH.
A staff nurse, Ciara Shields, said she explained to Danielle on the morning of October 21 that she would have to stay in her room until her Covid test results came back after she complained of being bored and not having a TV. At midday, she appeared settled when telling the nurse ‘all good things’ about her boyfriend and family. The nurse said she went at around 2.30pm to collect food and other items from Danielle’s mother, with whom she spoke for around ten minutes.
Ms Shields said she was in absolute shock when she discovered what had happened as Danielle had appeared ‘quite settled and pleasant throughout the day’.
A clinical nurse manager at TUH, Brian McMahon, gave evidence that the patient was not in her room when he went to tell her at around 2.50pm that her Covid test was negative and she could move more freely around the unit. Mr McMahon said he called a female colleague so that they could check the bathroom.
He described finding Danielle in an unresponsive state on the floor of the bathroom with marks on her neck. Mr McMahon said he started CPR on the patient after failing to detect a pulse but she was formally pronounced dead a short time later. A psychiatric registrar who examined Danielle in St James’s Hospital, Mawada Babiker, confirmed the patient had tried to take her own life while in its emergency department.
Dr Babiker said she believed Danielle had experienced a druginduced psychotic episode for which she required hospital treatment and she had arranged for her transfer to TUH.
The witness said the deceased believed she was being persecuted by a group of people whom she had linked to two individuals she had bullied when in primary school. Dr Babiker said Danielle thought these people wanted to kill her and she would rather go out ‘on her terms’.
Psychiatrist Ciara O’Connor, who examined Danielle on admission to TUH, said the patient believed bad things had been happening for a number of months.
Dr O’Connor said she had admitted smoking joints of cannabis several times a week. However, she said Danielle was glad to be in hospital as she felt safe.
While she had suicide ideation, Dr O’Connor said she had no active plan to end her life.
A consultant psychiatrist at TUH, Thomas McMonagle, said Danielle had been placed under his care although he had not seen
Standard was not ‘appropriate’ ‘A very distressing experience’
her. He told the coroner, Aisling Gannon, staff had become more reassured about her condition while she was under their care and her actions were ‘out of kilter’ with her clinical presentation.
The psychiatrist said he had ‘a bitter sense of regret’ over what happened but was uncertain if the outcome would have been any different if he had examined her.
Dr McMonagle said procedures in the unit had changed as a result of Danielle’s death.
Offering her condolences to the family on ‘a very distressing experience’, the coroner returned a verdict of death by suicide with psychosis a contributory factor.
Seven young people including a female were convicted of offences in relation to Dale’s death.