Film set designer killed himself over £20,000 bill for private therapy
AN acclaimed film set designer killed himself four days after being billed £20,000 by a private counselling service for therapy he could have received on the NHS, an inquest heard.
Alan MacDonald, 61, whose awardwinning work was celebrated at the Bafta film awards this week, committed suicide midway through the filming of the Mamma Mia! sequel.
He had been given the huge medical bill despite telling doctors that he had money worries.
Now a coroner has criticised a counselling service that charged him double the going rate for private hospital treatment.
And his family accused the company of fleecing a vulnerable man who was left ‘severely distressed and suicidal’ after being made to pay £20,210.
Mr MacDonald worked with some of the biggest names in film including Dames Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench, producing sets on productions including The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Queen and Philomena.
He also designed the sets for Kylie Minogue’s tours and worked on music videos for artists including Boy George, Sinead O’Connor, Morrissey, INXS and New Order.
But last year after starting filming Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth, Mr MacDonald became unwell.
His GP referred him to Add Counsel, a private mental health service that offers one-to- one care, after he sought help for his bipolar disorder and depression. The Mayfair-based firm assessed him as being too vulnerable for its treatment and had him admitted to the private Nightingale Hospital in central London.
Add Counsel billed Mr MacDonald £10,980 for his first week at the hospital and £9,230 for his second week, even though it would have cost £5,000 a week if he had paid the hospital directly. During his stay, Add Counsel’s clinical director, Michael Ishmail, dropped in to see Mr MacDonald seven times and exchanged texts with him.
Four days after being discharged, Mr MacDonald killed himself at his flat in Covent Garden after telling friends he felt ‘miserable’ about the hefty bill, which he had to raid his pension pot to pay.
At his inquest, St Pancras Coroner Mary Hassell was critical of Add Counsel’s decision to charge Mr MacDonald ‘without consideration’. She said: ‘Maybe the care could have been provided by the NHS. It may be that he did not want that or it may be that if someone had had that conversation with him, “Alan, do you really want to pay out £20,000?”, maybe he would have approached things in a different way.’ She said Mr Ishmail was well aware he had money worries, adding: ‘If a person has disclosed a factor which caused distress and then that same organisation to charge them without consideration, that is missing a piece.’
Mrs Hassell asked him what he was doing to charge such high fees: ‘You were not delivering therapy, just checking how he was doing?’
Mr Ishmail replied: ‘It was therapeutic, a level of care, kindness. There was a connection. I had his best interests at heart. When his health improved I was thrilled.
‘Almost daily he would have a family member or a friend attend the hospital. I tried to work around the groups that he was in, lunchtimes, on one occasion 15 minutes, it was 30 minutes to an hour to see how he was doing.’
But Mr MacDonald’s brother Hamish, speaking after the inquest, said: ‘The way he was dealt with is heartbreaking. Add Counsel took someone who is clearly distressed and having suicidal thoughts. They have taken advantage of him and ran a sales pitch on him.’
The coroner concluded that Mr MacDonald died on August 30, 2017 as a result of suicide.
For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org.
‘They have taken advantage of him’