At least 14 cases of patients leaving without permission have been recorded at a psychiatric hospital in Sydney
At Cumberland Hospital, a psychiatric facility in western Sydney, at least 14 new cases of patients leaving the facility without authorization were reported following the incidents in February. Brendan Flynn, executive director of mental health at NSW Health, cited these preliminary figures during the New South Wales state budget hearings, according to ABC News Australia.
According to Flynn, there were four cases of the first type in March, three in April, two each in May and June, and three more in July. The first type includes cases where a person leaves a medical facility on their own, such as walking out through a security gate or climbing over the roof. The second type refers to leaving without authorization while being escorted by healthcare staff.
The official reported that the rate at Cumberland Hospital was 0.5 cases per 1,000 bed-days and was lower than at other facilities. At the same time, he later noted that another division of the Department of Health has slightly lower, but not identical, data on these cases. Flynn promised to provide revised figures to Parliament at a later date.
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In February, the state government instructed the Cabinet Office to prepare a report on the escapes of two patients from Cumberland Hospital, which were linked to the deaths of three people. According to ABC News Australia, on February 14, a 31-year-old patient who had left the hospital without authorization six days earlier allegedly caused a car accident in Camden that killed two women. On February 17, another patient who had left the facility allegedly stabbed three people in Meriland: one person died, and two others suffered critical injuries.
New South Wales Mental Health Minister Rose Jackson stated that she could not release the Cabinet Office report because its contents would become the subject of criminal proceedings. According to her, the findings did not indicate any serious or significant violations, although the system had failed to function properly.
Following a separate inspection, the hospital removed unsecured furniture and replaced it with items that can be anchored to the floor. Tree branches were also trimmed, and downspouts were removed to prevent people from climbing onto the roof. The number of security guards was increased to six per day shift and five per night shift, including a senior security guard on each shift. Shadow Minister of Mental Health Sarah Mitchell called the regular incidents of patients leaving the hospital without authorization alarming and stated that the data presented does not indicate an improvement in the situation.
