Man gets €263k over suicide of wife a day after she left hospital
‘Negligence has been shown’
A MAN whose wife took her own life a day after she was discharged from hospital has been awarded €263,000 in the High Court.
Healthcare worker Angelo Cloonan, 53, from Galway, had sued for damages following the death of his wife Josephine early on April 19, 2011.
Judge Michael Hanna has ruled that if the doctor had made better inquiries into a recent diagnosis of depression and the risk of suicide, she would have been admitted as an inpatient.
‘Had this course been adopted, in my view, it is probable that she would not have taken her own life,’ the judge said. He awarded Mr Cloonan €263,000 in compensation. The case was taken against the HSE and Dr Kishan Browne, who was then working as a senior house officer in psychiatry.
In his judgment, Judge Hanna noted that Mrs Cloonan had been admitted to the Emergency Department of University College Hospital Galway late on April 17, following a ‘significant episode of self harm by overdose’. She was discharged the following afternoon and was taken home by Mr Cloonan and their son, Stephen.
Her daughters made the harrowing discovery of her body after searching for her early the next morning. She had died by hanging, the judge said.
Mr Cloonan claimed that the defendants failed to properly assess, diagnose and treat Mrs Cloonan. He said she should never have been sent home.
The defendants expressed their sympathy, but denied the claims and said they had acted in a manner in accordance with general psychiatric practice. Judge Hanna said Mrs Cloonan, an An Post employee, had been married to her husband for 25 years, and they had three children.
She had told her husband many years ago about abuse she had suffered as a child at the hands of a family member, but had tried to put the experiences behind her.
Then, 18 months before she died, another sister who claimed she had also been abused decided to go to court. Mrs Coonan made a statement to gardaí, but was said to find the resurrection of the issues very traumatising.
She took the overdose, and was found by her son, Stephen. Mr Coonan remained with her overnight in the Emergency Department. Dr Browne spoke to Mrs Coonan, Judge Hanna said, for around 25 minutes. Then he invited Mr Coonan to join them. Mr Coonan asked for his wife to be admitted for 24 hours, but said he was ‘fobbed off’.
Judge Hanna said Dr Browne had viewed himself as being severely restricted in the extent of inquiries he could make of Mr Coonan, by reason of his perception of patient confidentiality.
The judge said this was not correct, and that in cases of suicide risk, any question of patient confidentiality should be regarded as less important than the interests of the patient’s wellbeing.
The doctor was, therefore, unaware of a previous suicide attempt, or the allegations of abuse, and had ‘shut himself off’ from a source of vital information. ‘I am satisfied the plaintiff has made out a case of negligence against the defendants,’ Judge Hanna said.