CDHB Seeks External Review of its Acute lnpatient Service for Mental Health Patients

Canterbury District Health Board is commissioning an external review of its Acute Adult Inpatient Service at Hillmorton Hospital.

The decision has been made independently by the DHB, following the unexpected deaths of three patients using the Service this year.  The names of the patients and details of their care will not be released by the DHB in the interests of their privacy.

CDHB’s Chief of Psychiatry Associate Professor Phil Brinded said, “these deaths are a tragedy for patients, their families and staff who cared for them.  Commissioning an external review does not mean that these patients did not receive adequate care.  We are however very concerned about their deaths and the short space of time in which they occurred. We want to take a very close look at the circumstances surrounding them and whether anything further could have been done to prevent them.”

A senior psychiatrist, Professor Graham Mellsop, has been commissioned to lead the review panel.  Other members of the panel are yet to be commissioned but will include a senior nurse.

“We have been impressed by Professor Mellsop’s work in the past and are confident that he and others who assist him will conduct a very thorough review,” Vince Barry, CDHB’s General Manager Specialist Mental Health Service said.

The three deaths will also be individually reviewed as part of the coronial process and the DHB’s regular process of investigating serious events.

The reviews will cover admission, assessment and treatment of people entering acute inpatient services.

Families have been advised of the reviews and are being offered support.  Staff have also been informed and, along with the families, will be invited to provide input into the external and internal reviews.

“We have made it very clear to staff and families that this review is about getting an overall picture of the way the Service functions and finding anything that can be done to improve patient safety.  This move is not a reflection on staff who work very hard caring for their patients,” Dr Brinded said.

The timeframe for the completion of the review is yet to be established. “In the meantime, we are looking for any obvious changes that can be made to improve patient safety,” Dr Brinded said. “I would like to reassure the people who use the Service and their families, that we are working to provide the best standard of care possible.  It is still the very best place to come for Canterbury people who are acutely mentally unwell and require hospital care.”

ENDS