For SSWAHS staff to make decisions without taking into account their clinical responsibilities and duty of care for the patient is worrying. Equally worrying is that Carers had a significant input into the changes made to the NSW Mental Health Act 2007 to enshrine in it the role of the Carer or other significant person in the Care Plan devised for the person in their care. How is it that Mr Stevens and other Carers are not having a say into the actual and proposed care of their relatives?
Is SSWAHS and its Area Mental Health Directors ignoring the intent of the NSW Act when it comes to listening to the family members and other Carers? And if Dr Angelo Virgona believes that the record of the Liverpool Hospital Mental Health Unit is no worse than any other mental health unit I wonder if that statement was any consolation to Mr Stevens and any other Carer who had a relative "flee" from Liverpool and any other SSWAHS Mental Health facility?
Mental health unit security worries relative
Liverpool City Champion Newspaper
The Cabramatta resident, who has a relative that has needed to stay at the unit several times, said he is concerned about the procedures in the unit.
``A lot of the patients are `scheduled', which means they have been brought to the unit against their will, because they're a danger to themselves and others,'' Mr Stevens said.
``But the exits in the unit aren't properly patrolled and it's really easy for them to just run out, without anyone noticing.
``I was standing near an exit speaking to a nurse about the condition of my relative when a female patient ran up to us, pushed us both aside and ran out of the exit, down the corridor and out of the hospital. And who knows when they brought her back. It's just so easy for them to run off. It's really dangerous.''
Mr Stevens said they many of the patients are also let out on leave too early and escape from staff and relatives asked to supervise them.
``My relative has been let out on leave a few times, and they will be with three other patients and only one female nurse watching over them and one time, my relative managed to get away.''
Sydney South West Area Health Services Director of Clinical Services in Mental Health Dr Angelo Virgona said the unit was not designed to be a jail.
``In keeping with the spirit of the Mental Health Act we're not aiming to be too restrictive of our patients. ``We aim to create the best therapeutic environment for people to recover from their illness, so it can't be too restrictive.
``But we upgraded our exits in 2008 and now we have another layer of security so it's even more difficult to flee.
``There is no way to guarantee that patients will never leave the unit,'' Dr Virgona said. ``But we don't have more patients leaving than any other mental health unit.''
