Review launched into suicides at Brisbane mental health unit

Three people have died by suicide inside a locked mental health unit at a major Brisbane public hospital over the past 16 months.

Transcript

00:00 These are pretty startling revelations at the mental health clinic here at the Prince

00:06 Charles Hospital.

00:07 Health authorities have now confirmed that three patients have taken their own lives

00:12 while staying at the 60-bed clinic over the past 16 months.

00:17 In that same time period, two other people have also severely harmed themselves.

00:21 Now, look, the acting chief executive of the Metro North Health Service, Professor Jane

00:26 Hancock, she's described these deaths as tragic and she says while there has been an investigation

00:31 by the hospital into each of these incidents, a broader, more independent review will now

00:36 be established into these incidents.

00:39 She does say, though, that there has been an increasing number of patients being admitted

00:42 to the hospital with complex mental health needs.

00:45 Now, mental health organisations have come out and criticised these figures.

00:49 They say that when family members send their loved ones to hospital, they expect that they're

00:53 going to be safe.

00:55 There is also more broader criticism currently of three public hospitals in Brisbane and

01:00 speculation about whether or not mental health clinics are really fit for standard and purpose

01:05 and whether or not there's enough staff to cope with the increasing number of patients

01:09 with complex mental health needs.

01:11 But, look, this is terribly sad news for all the patients and their health workers involved

01:16 in this incident.

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