Miscommunication played role in suicide - coroner

Finn Higgins. Photo / Supplied.

A "significant amount of miscommunication" between police and mental health workers impacted on a young Wellington man who later committed suicide, Wellington regional coroner Ian Smith says.

Finn O'Higgins Higgins (CRCT), 26, lived in Newtown with his former partner. He was last seen on February 11, 2008, and his body was found on Mount Victoria on March 7.

The way he died has been suppressed by the coroner, who drew attention to two other recent decisions where he had directed police search and rescue officials review their processes when dealing with urban searches.

After his death, Mr Higgins' family said there had been two opportunities to have the depressed man committed under the Mental Health Act but alleged issues with staff - and a failure by Wellington's crisis assessment treatment team (Catt) to pick up Mr Higgins for treatment - resulted in him fleeing his home.

His family called for answers as to why Mr Higgins, who had taken sedatives and attempted to drown himself in Oriental Bay earlier in the day, was not seen by the Catt team despite calls from his distressed former partner.

Mr Higgins, a computer operator, suffered symptoms of depression, had diagnosed himself as suffering a form of autism known as Aspergers syndrome and had broken-up with his partner.

When he threatened to commit suicide on February 8, she told police and they followed him in a "mufti" car and stopped his vehicle with road spikes. However, he was allowed to return home after being assessed by a Capital and Coast District Health Board mental health team.

Two days later, police were called again and took him to Wellington Hospital for assessment.

On February 11, his now former partner told police of new suicide threats, and the Catt team asked police to bring him in for assessment. Police said there would be a delay as all units were tied up elsewhere.

Three and a half hours after police were told the man was home and sedated, he ran off without his shoes and wallet and was not seen alive again.

Senior Sergeant Donna Laban, Wellington Police risk manager, told the coroner that at this point police should have checked back with mental health officials and told them constables could not uplift Mr Higgins without a doctor or "duly authorised officer" (DAO) from the mental health unit present.

Mr Smith recommended that a DAO should be responsible for immediate, urgent steps where there was a certificate for compulsory assessment and treatment and, if they could not do it, should ensure the immediate appointment of a replacement health officer.

He also recommended police and the Health Ministry review an existing agreement - which was breached in Mr Higgins' case - to comply with the Mental Health Act "particularly focusing on the area of police assistance in locating, assessing, and transporting patients". It needed clarity to avoid the delays seen in Mr Higgins' case.

Clinical reviews of "adverse events" should include senior people representing nurses, if nurses were involved, and the perspective of service users and/or family should be given serious consideration, he said.

- NZPA