HSE apology to family of suicide tragedy Danielle
Care given to 24-year-old not ‘appropriate’ as mum claims daughter left on her own
THE HSE has issued an apology to the family of a psychiatric patient who took her own life while being treated at a high observation unit.
Danielle Creighton, who was 24, died by suicide 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 voiced by her family about the care she received as a psychiatric patient.
In a statement, 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 which she acknowledged was not that which was considered “appropriate”.
The deceased’s mother Rhoda Creighton, told the hearing yesterday that her daughter had been transferred to TUH from St James’s Hospital on October 20, 2020.
However, she complained she had not been told that Danielle had also tried to take her own life while a patient in St James’s on the day before her actual suicide. Mrs Creighton also claimed that her daughter, who was from of Glenshane Grove, Tallaght, South Dublin, was being monitored every 30 minutes, when she understood she was to be observed on a 24-hour basis.
“Danielle was left on her own,” she claimed. 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-19.
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 evidence from a number of psychiatric nurses that Danielle appeared anxious and paranoid on her admission to TUH.
Staff nurse Ciara Shields said she had explained to Danielle on the morning of October 21, 2020 that she would have to stay in her room until the results of her
Covid test came back after she’d complained of being bored.
At midday, she appeared settled when telling the nurse “all good things” about her boyfriend and family.
The nurse said she went down to collect food and other items from the patient’s mother at around 2.30pm with whom she spoke for around 10 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”. Clinical nurse manager 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.
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.
The witness added he started CPR on the patient after failing to detect a pulse but she was formally pronounced dead a short time later.
Danielle’s father Darren Creighton, who did not attend the inquest, had previously claimed in a newspaper interview that he believed that the violent death of her only sibling was a factor in her suicide.
Her brother Dale was assaulted on a footbridge over the N81 Tallaght Bypass between Greenhills Road and St Dominic’s Road in the early hours of January 1, 2014 in a vicious attack that lasted 14 minutes.
Seven young people were subsequently convicted of offences in
relation to Dale’s death.
[She was] quite settled and pleasant throughout the day
CIARA SHIELDS ON DANIELLE’S MOOD