Mother loses HSE negligence case over son’s death

THE mother of a 27-year-old man who killed himself after being discharged from a hospital psychiatric unit where he went following a deliberate overdose has lost her case against the HSE for allegedly failing to provide adequate care to her son.

The case was taken in the High Court in Dublin by Ellen Ann Orpen, 53, of Beaugreen, Dunkineely, Co. Donegal, a school traffic warden and auxiliary nurse, against the HSE. Evidence was given there was a history of suicide in the family.

Mr Justice Iarfhliath O’Neill said that as regards assessing the suicide risk he had come to the conclusion that neither the senior psychiatric officer on duty that night nor the consultant psychiatrist involved failed in their duty of care.