MENTAL health patient Madeline Simmons appeared “bright and reactive” just minutes before she jumped from an external balcony at Wagga Base Hospital and suffered fatal injuries, the nurse in charge of her that morning told an inquest yesterday.
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Registered nurse Janine Campbell granted 69-year-old Mrs Simmons 30 minutes of unescorted leave from Gissing House about 9.20am on April 26 last year.
Mrs Simmons, who suffered from the depressive illness bipolar affective disorder and had a history of self-harm, had prior approval from an on-call psychiatrist for up to two hours of unescorted leave, subject to final permission from nurses in the mental health ward.
Ms Campbell told the inquest Mrs Simmons had asked for her permission to walk around the hospital garden and the request was granted after she conducted a risk assessment.
“She was engaging with me, she was looking at me, she was using full sentences,” Ms Campbell said during cross-examination by Michael Fordham, counsel for the Murrumbidgee Local Health District.
Ms Campbell earlier told counsel assisting the coroner, Ian Bourke, that she had asked Mrs Simmons how she was feeling and if she felt safe to leave the ward.
“She said ‘yes, I am fine’,” Ms Campbell said.
Less than 10 minutes after Mrs Simmons left Gissing House she jumped from a balcony on the outside of the hospital tower block –believed to have been the third floor balcony – and suffered multiple injuries that claimed her life on May 21.
“If I had any concerns I would not have let Madeline out on leave,” Ms Campbell told Mr Fordham.
During questioning by counsel for the family of Mrs Simmons, Rob Ranken, Ms Campbell said she had “skimmed over” medical notes written about Mrs Simmons by two nurses on earlier shifts.
Both had written that Mrs Simmons was feeling low in mood because of a break up with a male friend.
But one of those nurses, Rhonda Peacock, told the inquest late yesterday she believed while Mrs Simmons was understandably sad about the break up, her reaction was appropriate.
Another witness, cleaner Helen Whittacker, described Mrs Simmons as “quite chirpy” when she spoke to her about an hour before the fall, while nurse Lisa Gwynne said Mrs Simmons had smiled and said hello to her.
But another nurse, Barbara Davey, reported a different mood when she asked Mrs Simmons how she was.
“As I recall, she said she was not so good, that she had just broken up with her boyfriend,” Ms Davey said.
She said, however, if she had had any concerns about Mrs Simmons she would have spoken to somebody about it.
The general opinion of medical staff was Mrs Simmons’ condition had been improving in the two months since she had been admitted to Gissing House as an involuntary patient.
The inquest continues today.
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