A MAN who was refused admission to a Dublin hospital after taking a drug overdose took his own life later that evening, an inquest heard yesterday.
Reuben Burns (29) of no fixed abode presented at the AE department of St Vincent’s Hospital on September 6th, 2009, having taken heroin and an overdose of sleeping tablets and expressing suicidal thoughts.
The inquest heard Mr Burns, who had a history of heroin and polysubstance abuse, left St Vincent’s Hospital after he was informed by a psychiatric registrar who assessed him that he would not be admitted to the hospital.
The father of three was found dead near Sydney Parade Dart station less than three hours later.
Dublin City Coroner’s Court was told a project worker with the Simon Community, Corinne Brogan, rang St Vincent’s after a member of staff at a homeless hostel where Mr Burns had stayed informed her he had received a call from Reuben at the hospital saying he was going to kill himself.
She spoke to the psychiatric registrar Dr Erik Kolshus and asked him did he feel it was an appropriate discharge and Dr Kolshus said it was. Ms Brogan then contacted St Brendan’s Hospital because she “wasn’t comfortable with the discharge” and “wanted a second opinion”.
After she was told he would be seen there she rang the doctor at St Vincent’s to ask him to “hang on to Reuben”.
“I was willing to bring him to St Brendan’s for a second opinion.” At that point she was informed by Dr Kolshus that Reuben had left.
Earlier a friend of Mr Burns’s, Andrew Thompson had contacted Ms Brogan to say he was worried about Reuben’s mental state and was concerned he was going to take his own life and Ms Brogan had conducted a search for him in Dublin City Centre.
Mr Burns was seen by the psychiatric registrar, Dr Kolshus in St Vincent’s at 6.30pm having been medically assessed as stable.
Dr Kolshus told the inquest he felt Mr Burns was seeking accommodation or methadone. He accepted Mr Burns had suicidal ideation or thoughts, but said he reported he had thoughts like this for two to three years.
After contacting a consultant on call a clinical decision was made to refer Mr Burns to the homeless services including their psychiatric services.
The doctor made contact with the homeless services with a view to making emergency arrangements for the 29-year-old.
After Dr Kolshus told Mr Burns, who had requested admission to hospital, he was not going to be admitted, he left the facility. The doctor had no power to stop him from leaving, the inquest heard.
A jury of five men and two woman returned a verdict of death by suicide. “At the time of the assessment he wasn’t considered to be actively suicidal,” coroner Dr Brian Farrell said.
The coroner commended Ms Brogan for her actions.