Popular teacher ‘in high spirits’ before death, inquest told
A POPULAR Cardiff school teacher was found dead on a beach days after she had been discharged from a mental health ward, an inquest has heard.
Elin Boyle, who was 43 and was a teacher at Ysgol Gyfun Plasmawr, was found on March 17, 2019, by a member of the coastguard at Nash Point in the Vale of Glamorgan five days after she was reported as missing by her family.
Following a post-mortem examination it was confirmed that Mrs Boyle had suffered a blunt head injury prior to her death and had an appreciable amount of alcohol in her blood equating to 77mg per 100ml, consistent with mild drunkenness, at the time of her passing.
She had been receiving treatment on a specialist mental health ward at Hafan y Coed at Llandough Hospital but was discharged on March 7.
The inquest at Pontypridd Coroners’ Court heard how Mrs Boyle had gone missing on multiple occasions prior to her death and was found at various coastal locations in south Wales and further afield, including once in Weston-SuperMare. On some of those occasions she had expressed wanting to take her own life and had been annoyed to have been discovered, the court heard.
On being discharged from Llandough Hospital after around two months attending on a voluntary basis the court heard how a plan had been agreed with Mrs Boyle for her discharge but she didn’t attend her discharge meeting and was later found in Swansea.
Her family questioned why Mrs Boyle hadn’t been detained at the hospital under the Mental Health Act to which staff responded that detaining Mrs Boyle wasn’t deemed in her best interests. In fact, Mrs Boyle was seen as one of the more well patients on the ward and due to that was sometimes moved to sleep on different wards due to a lack of beds.
Mental health clinical lead for the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board Jayne Bell said: “It is a very sad fact of mental health nursing that we do not have enough beds.”
The court heard how Mrs Boyle had obvious concerns about leaving hospital, with coroner Dr Sarah-Jane Richards describing it as a “very anxiety-involving scenario for her”.
In a statement Mrs Boyle’s sister Anwen Charles said: “They discharged her in her absence and she felt neglected.”
Nurse Hannah James, who was tasked with caring for Mrs Boyle weekly at her home following her discharge, said Mrs Boyle posed a risk of suicide at the point she was discharged but that she was satisfied that her care plan was appropriate.
The court heard how on the day of her discharge she wasn’t given diazepam which Dr Richards said “was needed”. Mrs Boyle’s husband Jonathan Boyle said he had to help her organise an urgent meeting with a doctor to get a prescription for the medication.
Following internal investigations Mrs Bell said the health board was satisfied that Mrs Boyle’s care was of a good standard.
Mrs Bell said the investigations found no specific care plan existed in written form for Mrs Boyle but she was satisfied Mrs Boyle was receiving appropriate care. Now, she said, managers undertake regular audits where they look over documentation for patients. She also explained how the wards hold police liaison meetings when people in their care go missing.
The court heard from Jazmine Dicker, who was Mrs Boyle’s primary nurse at Llandough Hospital, and who said she often spent hours per day with her.
Asked what the approach was to Mrs Boyle’s safety, Ms Dicker said: “We came up with a plan that before she left the ward she would speak to a qualified member of staff and talk about whether she was able to keep herself safe. Elin agreed she would be honest in these discussions and would disclose the plans.”
Ms Dicker said Mrs Boyle would sometimes have “really positive days” but would still tell her family she hated being on the ward and would ask Ms Dicker not to tell relatives she’d had a nice day.
“The consent to share made things difficult,” she said. “We were generally pleased with the progress Elin was making. But Elin would send messages to her family saying it was the worst she ever felt. We weren’t getting that picture.”
Dr Richards asked Ms Dicker whether the ward had ever considered involving her family in her care at the war, to which Ms Dicker responded: “No, I don’t know why it wasn’t considered. I think it’s something that would have benefited Elin and her family.”
Dr Richards asked Ms Dicker whether she felt Mrs Boyle should have been detained at the ward for her own safety. “No,” Ms Dicker replied. “She showed willing to stay on the ward and was complying with her treatment. This isn’t something that would be considered as she had capacity and she was showing willing.”
While the court heard how Mrs Boyle was a highly skilled woman and remained so until her death Ms
Dicker said Mrs Boyle had grown overly dependent on her and “the boundaries were blurring in the nurse-patient relationship”.
In a statement, PC Philip Jones explained why, upon finding Mrs Boyle on one of the occasions she went missing, South Wales Police officers didn’t utilise the ability to apply a section under the Mental Health Act.
“She appeared in happy spirits,” he said. “She made no suicidal comments or anything else which would enable us to section her.”
Dr Richards recorded a narrative conclusion as: “The death of a 43-year-old woman who brought about her own death where her intentions could not be discerned.”
On behalf of Jonathan Boyle and his family, solicitor Carys Jones said: “The family are pleased that the inquest has concluded today because it has been nearly three years since Elin sadly passed away. Despite having taken a long time to get here today that has allowed the health board to introduce measures to improve its mental health services.
“The family hope the measures will go on to ensure that another patient in the circumstances Elin was in will be better protected in the future.
“They hope Elin will be remembered for all the great work she has done in her community, especially the Ysgol Gyfun Plasmawr school community.”
After her death Mrs Boyle’s family said: “We cannot begin to describe how painful it is to have your loved one taken from you by this cruel mental health illness which Elin had to battle with for over 25 years.
“She really was one in a million and we only wish she could have seen the love for her pouring in.
“She had a gift of making others feel better and happy and would go above and beyond to help others. Our only consolation is that she is now at peace.”
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