Big staff shortages added to failings

Chronic staff shortages have been partly blamed for failures that led to the suicides of three women at Perth’s Murray Royal Hospital.

During the three and a half year period in which the tragedies occurred, the Moredun Ward was regularly staffed by just 50% of the workforce due to staff illnesses, Perth Sheriff Court heard.

Representing the health authority in its first criminal prosecution, Peter Gray QC said: “As an organisation, it endeavours at all times to ensure that the services it provides are provided safely.

“It takes its responsibilities in relation to health and safety of both employees and patients extremely seriously.”

He said: “It is a matter of profound regret and concern that, during this period, the organisation failed to meet the high standards it has set itself.

“And as a result of its failings, three very vulnerable women were able to take their own lives whilst in the care of the accused organisation.”

Mr Gray expressed the board’s “deepest sympathies” to each family.

“It is clear that during this period, there were significant failings in the management and control of the ligature points at the Moredun Ward,” he said.

“And it is clear that these failures had tragic consequences, which shook the health board to its core.”

Murray Royal Hospital opened in July 2012, and the Moredun Ward was designed to provide care for patients with acute mental health disorders.

“It presented staff with many challenges,” said Mr Grey.

“There were a series of individual rooms, rather than an open ward or dormitory that staff would have been familiar with. That design in itself rendered operations more difficult.”

The ward, he said, was set-up for 30 patients.

“There was a general view that that was simply too large to provide effective therapy,” he told the court.

“In short, staff found themselves in very challenging working environment.”

Mr Grey said that there were staff shortages in key positions, such as health of service, inpatient manager or senior charge nurse.

“It is not surprising that, given these stresses on the system, at any one time during this period there were approximately 50% of the workforce off sick at any one time,” he said.

“To address that difficulty, the ward was required to rely on agency staff, which resulted in a fundamental lack of communication.”

He said the ward was operating in a “constant state of flux”, adding: “It is against that background that these failings arose, and they were not addressed.”

Mr Grey told the court the “radical” improvements had been made, including a reduction in capacity to 22.