Missed opportunity to assess suicidal patient before his death
A coroner has determined there was a "missed opportunity" to evaluate a higher-risk patient in hospital prior to the man taking his own life.
Stephen Loughead, 50, residing on the Antrim Road in Belfast, was rescued from a body of water in March 2024 but died in hospital the following week.
An inquest into his death revealed he was brought to the emergency department at the Mater Hospital by police officers after visiting a city centre police station in the early hours of 15 March.
After waiting several hours at the hospital, Mr. Loughead left on his own accord and was later seen in a river that same morning.
'Deteriorating mental health'
The inquest disclosed that the time Mr. Loughead spent waiting to be assessed by a doctor exceeded the 10-minute target, despite being considered "actively suicidal."
It was also noted that it is not uncommon for higher-risk patients to arrive at the emergency department and wait longer than the target time for assessment.
Additionally, the presence of multiple higher-risk patients on any given night was explained.
Coroner Anne-Louise Toal found that Stephen Loughead was clearly experiencing "deteriorating mental health."
She concluded that the noisy and busy environment in the emergency department worsened his condition and contributed to his decision to leave before being assessed by a doctor.
"A missed opportunity" to treat his suicidal ideation before he left the hospital and proceeded to make his way to the River Lagan.
'Chronic lack of resources'
Coroner Toal stated that Mr. Loughead, who was not intoxicated, should have been seen by a doctor within 10 minutes but waited two hours due to "chronic" pressures on hospital staff.
The coroner concluded that it is difficult to determine if anything would be done differently in a similar situation at the hospital currently because of what she described as "a chronic lack of resources."
"The stark reality is that it is difficult to see if anything would be done differently in a similar situation at the hospital at present because of what she described as 'a chronic lack of resources'."
She described the case as extremely tragic and expressed her condolences to Stephen Loughead's family.
The inquest also heard that his organs were donated following his death.
Messages on social media at the time of his death described him as "a very good friend" and remembered "his lovely smile and the good times."
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