❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks data on deaths of mental health patients, including those under 18, over the past three years. The response provides figures, clarifies reporting inconsistencies, and details deaths both within facilities and in the broader community.
AnsweredQoN 750Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
MENTAL HEALTH PATIENTS - DEATHS
(1) How many patients receiving treatment in the public mental health system have died in each of the past three years? (2) In each of the past three years, how many of those patients were younger than 18 years of age? Hon SUE ELLERY
(1) How many patients receiving treatment in the public mental health system have died in each of the past three years? (2) In each of the past three years, how many of those patients were younger than 18 years of age? Hon SUE ELLERY
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Chief Psychiatrist of Western Australia is to be informed as a matter of priority of any death of a patient while under the care of any mental health service in Western Australia. A further requirement is that mental health services should notify the Chief Psychiatrist of any serious incident and associated issues that may reflect on the standard of psychiatric care in Western Australia. As I indicated to the house on behalf of the Minister for Health on 16 November 2005, this requirement to notify the Chief Psychiatrist was variably interpreted by mental health services as meaning to notify him of deaths of persons who may have a relationship with a mental health service, rather than a patient under the care of that service. A relationship with a mental health service was interpreted to include having received treatment from that service or having been referred to that service. Bearing in mind the variable interpretation of unexplained deaths, please see the figures for the past three years as publicly released by the Chief Psychiatrist: 2003-04, 45; 2004-05, 34; and 2005-06, 66. The number of deaths of persons in a mental health facility in each of the three years is as follows: 2003-04, 10; 2004-05, one; and 2005-06, 10. (2) The Chief Psychiatrist has advised the Minister for Health that there were zero in 2003-04; zero in 2004-05; and in 2005-06, two under the age of 18 years. Neither of these deaths occurred in a mental health facility.
(2) In each of the past three years, how many of those patients were younger than 18 years of age? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Chief Psychiatrist of Western Australia is to be informed as a matter of priority of any death of a patient while under the care of any mental health service in Western Australia. A further requirement is that mental health services should notify the Chief Psychiatrist of any serious incident and associated issues that may reflect on the standard of psychiatric care in Western Australia. As I indicated to the house on behalf of the Minister for Health on 16 November 2005, this requirement to notify the Chief Psychiatrist was variably interpreted by mental health services as meaning to notify him of deaths of persons who may have a relationship with a mental health service, rather than a patient under the care of that service. A relationship with a mental health service was interpreted to include having received treatment from that service or having been referred to that service. Bearing in mind the variable interpretation of unexplained deaths, please see the figures for the past three years as publicly released by the Chief Psychiatrist: 2003-04, 45; 2004-05, 34; and 2005-06, 66. The number of deaths of persons in a mental health facility in each of the three years is as follows: 2003-04, 10; 2004-05, one; and 2005-06, 10. (2) The Chief Psychiatrist has advised the Minister for Health that there were zero in 2003-04; zero in 2004-05; and in 2005-06, two under the age of 18 years. Neither of these deaths occurred in a mental health facility.
Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Chief Psychiatrist of Western Australia is to be informed as a matter of priority of any death of a patient while under the care of any mental health service in Western Australia. A further requirement is that mental health services should notify the Chief Psychiatrist of any serious incident and associated issues that may reflect on the standard of psychiatric care in Western Australia. As I indicated to the house on behalf of the Minister for Health on 16 November 2005, this requirement to notify the Chief Psychiatrist was variably interpreted by mental health services as meaning to notify him of deaths of persons who may have a relationship with a mental health service, rather than a patient under the care of that service. A relationship with a mental health service was interpreted to include having received treatment from that service or having been referred to that service. Bearing in mind the variable interpretation of unexplained deaths, please see the figures for the past three years as publicly released by the Chief Psychiatrist: 2003-04, 45; 2004-05, 34; and 2005-06, 66. The number of deaths of persons in a mental health facility in each of the three years is as follows: 2003-04, 10; 2004-05, one; and 2005-06, 10. (2) The Chief Psychiatrist has advised the Minister for Health that there were zero in 2003-04; zero in 2004-05; and in 2005-06, two under the age of 18 years. Neither of these deaths occurred in a mental health facility.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Chief Psychiatrist of Western Australia is to be informed as a matter of priority of any death of a patient while under the care of any mental health service in Western Australia. A further requirement is that mental health services should notify the Chief Psychiatrist of any serious incident and associated issues that may reflect on the standard of psychiatric care in Western Australia. As I indicated to the house on behalf of the Minister for Health on 16 November 2005, this requirement to notify the Chief Psychiatrist was variably interpreted by mental health services as meaning to notify him of deaths of persons who may have a relationship with a mental health service, rather than a patient under the care of that service. A relationship with a mental health service was interpreted to include having received treatment from that service or having been referred to that service. Bearing in mind the variable interpretation of unexplained deaths, please see the figures for the past three years as publicly released by the Chief Psychiatrist: 2003-04, 45; 2004-05, 34; and 2005-06, 66. The number of deaths of persons in a mental health facility in each of the three years is as follows: 2003-04, 10; 2004-05, one; and 2005-06, 10. (2) The Chief Psychiatrist has advised the Minister for Health that there were zero in 2003-04; zero in 2004-05; and in 2005-06, two under the age of 18 years. Neither of these deaths occurred in a mental health facility.
(1) The Chief Psychiatrist of Western Australia is to be informed as a matter of priority of any death of a patient while under the care of any mental health service in Western Australia. A further requirement is that mental health services should notify the Chief Psychiatrist of any serious incident and associated issues that may reflect on the standard of psychiatric care in Western Australia. As I indicated to the house on behalf of the Minister for Health on 16 November 2005, this requirement to notify the Chief Psychiatrist was variably interpreted by mental health services as meaning to notify him of deaths of persons who may have a relationship with a mental health service, rather than a patient under the care of that service. A relationship with a mental health service was interpreted to include having received treatment from that service or having been referred to that service. Bearing in mind the variable interpretation of unexplained deaths, please see the figures for the past three years as publicly released by the Chief Psychiatrist: 2003-04, 45; 2004-05, 34; and 2005-06, 66. The number of deaths of persons in a mental health facility in each of the three years is as follows: 2003-04, 10; 2004-05, one; and 2005-06, 10. (2) The Chief Psychiatrist has advised the Minister for Health that there were zero in 2003-04; zero in 2004-05; and in 2005-06, two under the age of 18 years. Neither of these deaths occurred in a mental health facility.
(2) The Chief Psychiatrist has advised the Minister for Health that there were zero in 2003-04; zero in 2004-05; and in 2005-06, two under the age of 18 years. Neither of these deaths occurred in a mental health facility.
(2) In each of the past three years, how many of those patients were younger than 18 years of age? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Chief Psychiatrist of Western Australia is to be informed as a matter of priority of any death of a patient while under the care of any mental health service in Western Australia. A further requirement is that mental health services should notify the Chief Psychiatrist of any serious incident and associated issues that may reflect on the standard of psychiatric care in Western Australia. As I indicated to the house on behalf of the Minister for Health on 16 November 2005, this requirement to notify the Chief Psychiatrist was variably interpreted by mental health services as meaning to notify him of deaths of persons who may have a relationship with a mental health service, rather than a patient under the care of that service. A relationship with a mental health service was interpreted to include having received treatment from that service or having been referred to that service. Bearing in mind the variable interpretation of unexplained deaths, please see the figures for the past three years as publicly released by the Chief Psychiatrist: 2003-04, 45; 2004-05, 34; and 2005-06, 66. The number of deaths of persons in a mental health facility in each of the three years is as follows: 2003-04, 10; 2004-05, one; and 2005-06, 10. (2) The Chief Psychiatrist has advised the Minister for Health that there were zero in 2003-04; zero in 2004-05; and in 2005-06, two under the age of 18 years. Neither of these deaths occurred in a mental health facility.
Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Chief Psychiatrist of Western Australia is to be informed as a matter of priority of any death of a patient while under the care of any mental health service in Western Australia. A further requirement is that mental health services should notify the Chief Psychiatrist of any serious incident and associated issues that may reflect on the standard of psychiatric care in Western Australia. As I indicated to the house on behalf of the Minister for Health on 16 November 2005, this requirement to notify the Chief Psychiatrist was variably interpreted by mental health services as meaning to notify him of deaths of persons who may have a relationship with a mental health service, rather than a patient under the care of that service. A relationship with a mental health service was interpreted to include having received treatment from that service or having been referred to that service. Bearing in mind the variable interpretation of unexplained deaths, please see the figures for the past three years as publicly released by the Chief Psychiatrist: 2003-04, 45; 2004-05, 34; and 2005-06, 66. The number of deaths of persons in a mental health facility in each of the three years is as follows: 2003-04, 10; 2004-05, one; and 2005-06, 10. (2) The Chief Psychiatrist has advised the Minister for Health that there were zero in 2003-04; zero in 2004-05; and in 2005-06, two under the age of 18 years. Neither of these deaths occurred in a mental health facility.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The Chief Psychiatrist of Western Australia is to be informed as a matter of priority of any death of a patient while under the care of any mental health service in Western Australia. A further requirement is that mental health services should notify the Chief Psychiatrist of any serious incident and associated issues that may reflect on the standard of psychiatric care in Western Australia. As I indicated to the house on behalf of the Minister for Health on 16 November 2005, this requirement to notify the Chief Psychiatrist was variably interpreted by mental health services as meaning to notify him of deaths of persons who may have a relationship with a mental health service, rather than a patient under the care of that service. A relationship with a mental health service was interpreted to include having received treatment from that service or having been referred to that service. Bearing in mind the variable interpretation of unexplained deaths, please see the figures for the past three years as publicly released by the Chief Psychiatrist: 2003-04, 45; 2004-05, 34; and 2005-06, 66. The number of deaths of persons in a mental health facility in each of the three years is as follows: 2003-04, 10; 2004-05, one; and 2005-06, 10. (2) The Chief Psychiatrist has advised the Minister for Health that there were zero in 2003-04; zero in 2004-05; and in 2005-06, two under the age of 18 years. Neither of these deaths occurred in a mental health facility.
(1) The Chief Psychiatrist of Western Australia is to be informed as a matter of priority of any death of a patient while under the care of any mental health service in Western Australia. A further requirement is that mental health services should notify the Chief Psychiatrist of any serious incident and associated issues that may reflect on the standard of psychiatric care in Western Australia. As I indicated to the house on behalf of the Minister for Health on 16 November 2005, this requirement to notify the Chief Psychiatrist was variably interpreted by mental health services as meaning to notify him of deaths of persons who may have a relationship with a mental health service, rather than a patient under the care of that service. A relationship with a mental health service was interpreted to include having received treatment from that service or having been referred to that service. Bearing in mind the variable interpretation of unexplained deaths, please see the figures for the past three years as publicly released by the Chief Psychiatrist: 2003-04, 45; 2004-05, 34; and 2005-06, 66. The number of deaths of persons in a mental health facility in each of the three years is as follows: 2003-04, 10; 2004-05, one; and 2005-06, 10. (2) The Chief Psychiatrist has advised the Minister for Health that there were zero in 2003-04; zero in 2004-05; and in 2005-06, two under the age of 18 years. Neither of these deaths occurred in a mental health facility.
(2) The Chief Psychiatrist has advised the Minister for Health that there were zero in 2003-04; zero in 2004-05; and in 2005-06, two under the age of 18 years. Neither of these deaths occurred in a mental health facility.
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