Woman’s suicide on Dénia psychiatric ward sparks probe

AN INQUIRY has been launched into the death of a patient at Dénia hospital's psychiatric ward amid fears that safety procedures may have been breached.

The woman succeeded in hanging herself from a stopcock on a toilet cistern fitted high up after tearing bed sheets to make a noose.

Upset ward staff hinted that the proper precautions had not been in place and that safety and security was lax in the mental health wing.

In accordance with legal requirements, beds must be nailed to the floor and no elements which patients might use to harm themselves are allowed in the rooms – belts of any description and sharp objects are forbidden, and instead of sheets which can be torn up, only blankets may be used on the beds.

All rooms must be fitted with a CCTV camera.

In the last few weeks, another patient attempted suicide by smashing a window pane and trying to hurl himself out, but did not succeed.

And another, said to be very seriously mentally ill, managed to snap the straps holding him to the bed during a psychotic episode and escaped, forcing staff to call in the National Police to catch and restrain him.

Employees say the beds – only 12 of them, despite patient numbers at any one time exceeding this figure – are not fixed to the floor and 'tearable' cotton sheets are used.

Only one nurse and one auxiliary are on duty on the ward per shift, just two security guards for the whole hospital, and the entire Marina Alta has only five psychiatrists to go round, they say.

The psychiatric ward is overwhelmed year-round and packed to the brim in summer, and staff fear further serious incidents could be waiting to happen.

Marina Salúd, the company which runs the privatised district health service, says its psychiatric wing has been 'running smoothly for 10 years', undergoes regular audits and inspections and always passes, and has 'an adequate employee-patient ratio' at 'all times'.