Overdose victim got multiple prescriptions, inquest told

A homeless man died from a drugs overdose days after being prescribed tablets by up to three different doctors, an inquest heard today.

Sean Mooney, aged 30, was found dead at a Salvation Army hostel in Belfast in April 2005 after taking painkillers and tranquillisers.

Recently released from prison, the glue-sniffing victim of paramilitary punishment attacks claimed one of his medication scripts had been stolen to wring pills out of GPs.

Belfast Coroner Brian Sherrard said: “It does seem bizarre in the sense that someone can go round the country registering with GPs without there being a system of checks and balances.”

He adjourned the hearing after warning that systems allowing switches between doctors may need to be altered.

A clinic at the Ormeau Road, Belfast, had no record of one of its locums prescribing Mr Mooney more drugs the day before he died on April 20, despite admissions by the now untraceable medic to police.

Prescriptions were also given to him on April 12 and April 15.

Mr Mooney, with a history of self-harm, had seen several doctors and his probation officer said he had previously been in Newry, Lurgan and Bangor.

Mr Sherrard added: “It is clearly a matter of concern and I take the point... that there are resource implications in most of this.”

However, he added steps may need “to be put in place to prevent this type of multiple-presentation (to doctors) and multiple prescription – if this is what’s happened in this particular case.”

Mr Mooney told probation officer Rita Gillespie his script from April 15 had been stolen by a heroin addict, denied by the alleged culprit.

Renee Greer from the Central Services Agency (CSA), which oversees the health service, said there was nothing routinely preventing multiple registration with different practitioners.

It can be a week or more before the CSA is informed of a change.

If GPs have suspicions about the patient they can contact previous doctors.

Ms Greer added the CSA’s counterfraud unit had considered checks and balances preventing people from multiple registering.

“It would need to be a real-time notification, funding would come into it.”

Dr Mary Keane, who met the unemployed Mr Mooney on April 15, said he was agitated, aggressive and difficult to communicate logically with, prompting her to order him to leave her practice over fears he was lying.

Mr Mooney had asked the practice for a six-week supply because he would be working with children.

Although this was denied, Dr Keane, granted him enough to cover him until he was taken into another practice.

“He looked as if he could possibly be in withdrawal, if you didn’t give somebody something they could end up having a seizure or something,” she said.

“It is very difficult when you have got somebody in a surgery who won’t leave without something who looks as if he is in withdrawal.”

His probation officer today said daily prescribing should have been considered to prevent an over-accumulation of drugs.

The victim died from pneumonia after taking Diazepam, Temazepam and Dihydrocodeine and was found face-down on his bed. He had a history of drug abuse, and took painkillers for wounds sustained during punishment beatings and shootings.

His probation officer, John Warren, said: “Both his family and the health service have worked very hard to try to break the cycle of drug abuse and glue-sniffing but Sean kept returning to that cycle.”

The matter was adjourned to allow the coroner to make more inquiries.