The niece of a man who took his own life after trying to secure mental health supports in Galway has spoken out against the lack of help she says he received.
Twitter user Labhráin said that her uncle, who died on Saturday, attended hospital in Galway four times in one week, waiting up to 12 hours in one day, but was sent home because his condition wasn’t ‘severe’ enough on observation.
She wrote: “My Uncle went to Galway four times last week looking for help with his mental health, he spent over 12 hours waiting there one day only to be sent home because he wasn’t ‘severe’ enough. Saturday he killed himself”.
My Uncle went to Galway four times last week looking for help with his mental health, he spent over 12 hours waiting there one day only to be sent home because he wasn’t ‘severe’ enough. Saturday he killed himself.
— Lorna 🔮 (@LK8194) July 25, 2022
“Even when people look for help they can’t get it, this country is f****d,” his grieving niece added.
“I don’t blame the staff in the HSE, I’m aware they have to follow protocol and lack the necessary resources. There has to be a reform, things need to change. This weekend it was my uncle, who will it be next weekend?” she also said.
The devastating admission received thousands of reactions and responses on the social media platform, as people across the country and beyond expressed outrage and sadness over the alleged treatment of the man who was clearly in desperation. Many claimed that calls for people to ‘open up’ and speak about mental health struggles are redundant in the face of inaction taken by hospitals in Ireland.
“This needs to change”, one social media user said.
“They can’t keep telling people to ‘open up’ and ‘speak to someone’ when they only end up being turned away when they do. I’m so sorry for your loss, Labhráin”.
Others thanked the woman for having the courage to share what had happened – as one user blasted the “appalling outcome” of the man’s search for help.
Some pinpointed the case as a symptom of societal failures, with one Twitter user saying in response: “So sad , tragic. As a society we have failed the weak , vulnerable , sick.
“Those at the top are indifferent to the plight of their fellow human beings. I despair at this avoidable continuation of injustice and acceptance of it as normal.”
“I’m very sorry your uncle was so poorly served. He took a huge and brave step to seek help when he was clearly at a very low point. Very sad to hear that his efforts were not seen. My condolences to your family and his friends,” another user, clearly moved, tweeted.
While another said: “I’m so, so sorry for your loss. How awful that your uncle knew he needed help and took action to get it but was so let down by the system.”
The tragedy comes following the publication of a report by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) last month which found that independent privately-run mental health services typically offer a ‘better level’ of care than HSE-run facilities. The report warned that investment into HSE-run inpatient mental health services in Ireland is needed to ensure that people, regardless of their financial means, have access to a similar standard of mental health care.
The report detailed how only a “select number of people” with financial means or health insurance are able to access Ireland’s high-performing mental health centres. Dr Susan Finnerty, Inspector of Mental Health Services for the Mental Health Commission, also revealed that only two thirds of individual care plans for in-patients at HSE mental health centres meet an acceptable standard,
Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime at the end of June, she said that the area has been “slow to improve over the past five years” and highlighted “poor compliance” in relation to the provision of mental health services.
“We continue to see a lack of appropriate goals and a lack of resources,” Dr Finnerty said.
Following the publication of the report, the HSE insisted its Mental Health Services continue to invest in premises, allocating €14.2 million for capital development in 2022.
Shortcomings in mental health services in Ireland have been repeatedly highlighted. In December, a mental health service apologised “unreservedly” for the standard of care provided to a 25-year-old man who later died by suicide.
Galway student Jamie Costello died in October 2019, and his death resulted in action against the HSE. Jamie, a voluntary patient at the Acute Mental Health Unit at University Hospital Galway, was only supposed to leave the unit while accompanied by his family or occupational therapists, but had left the facility on three separate occasions within two weeks after being granted unsupervised leave when it was known he was a suicide risk.
A letter on behalf of Galway Roscommon Mental Health Services, written last December, read: “On behalf of the service I wish to unreservedly apologise to you and all of the members of your family for the standard of care delivered to your late son Mr Jamie Costello which was not to the standard our services would believe was appropriate”.