The family of a Dublin woman who died in a fall from a sixth-floor balcony the day after being released from a psychiatric ward at St Vincent's hospital in Fairview, Dublin have strongly criticised the hospital for discharging her.
The woman's niece telephoned the hospital the night before she died as she was threatening suicide and was told to bring her back the following day, an inquest into her death has heard.
Rachel Hall (34), a mother-of-three from Coultry Road, Ballymun, was discovered on the ground outside her flat complex on December 21st, 2005, Dublin City Coroner's Court heard yesterday. Ms Hall had been released from St Vincent's the day before after being admitted four days previously threatening suicide.
Sandra Kearney told the court that her sister was suffering from depression and had attempted to commit suicide on numerous occasions by trying to slit her wrists and hang herself. "She set fire to our mother's house and her own flat on several occasions too."
Ms Hall was admitted to St Vincent's many times in the 18 months leading up to her death after threatening or attempting suicide but was always released within a short space of time, Ms Kearney added.
"We all want to know why she was let out. How could they send her home in a taxi? So many times the police had to help us out. We could get no support from St Vincent's. We want to know why, on numerous occasions, she was sent in a taxi to my mother's house when she herself is depressed and looking after a Down syndrome child," she told the court.
Coroner Dr Brian Farrell adjourned the inquest until March so that the psychiatrist at St Vincent's who treated Ms Hall, Dr Jogin Thajkore, can give evidence. A spokeswoman for the hospital said they could not comment because the inquest was ongoing.
On the night before her death, Ms Hall was threatening to jump from the flat complex where she lived. Her niece, Andrea, phoned St Vincent's and they told her to give Ms Hall some tea, get her to bed and then bring her back down to the hospital in the morning.
The family were told they could come down and pick up some medication but they did not have a car to drive there, Ms Kearney said.
"She was on our neighbour's stairs saying 'I want to jump'. We sat her down and calmed her down." Ms Hall's 16-year-old daughter, Kim, later brought her mother back to their flat and put her to bed.
At about 6am the following morning, neighbour Karen Deegan heard loud banging on the stairs and then saw "Rachel Hall lying on the ground beside the flats", and contacted gardaí.