Patient took his life in observation area

The HSE has adopted a series of recommendations arising from its own investigation into how a patient took his own life while in a high-observation area at an acute psychiatric unit.

At an inquest at Co Clare’s coroner’s court yesterday into the death of the 60-year-old Kevin Manifold of 47 Aidan Park, Shannon, his brother Joseph questioned HSE staff as to why his brother was not more closely observed at Ennis’s acute psychiatric unit.

At the court, a jury found the divorced father of one died from a self-inflicted death at the high observation area of the acute psychiatric unit on Feb 27, 2011.

Coroner Isobel O’Dea said she was satisfied that there was no third party involved. “There is nothing to suggest there was any level of force used… There was no sign of anyone else in the room.”

An autopsy by pathologist Elizabeth Mulcahy found that death was due to asphyxia.

The inquest heard yesterday that the HSE carried out an investigation into the man’s death and had adopted eight recommendations from the report.

In returning their ruling, the jury attached the HSE’s recommendations to their verdict.