‘Lessons learnt’ from tragic death

A WA coroner has found doctors and nurses who treated an Albany teenager before he took his own life could have been more cautious with his treatment with the benefit of hindsight but could not predict or prevent his suicide after he ran away from Albany Regional Hospital in 2010.

Coroner Sarah Linton’s findings into the suicide of 17-year-old Jesse Richard Dellar were released yesterday after an inquest last year, five years after his death.

The inquest raised concerns about the limited options for the treatment of adolescents with mental health issues at the hospital in 2010, with Jesse described as a “sensitive and complicated” young man.

Jesse was admitted to hospital after a medication overdose and had a history of psychological disturbance and had struggled with bouts of depression and suicidal thoughts.

In her findings, Ms Linton said lessons had been learnt from Jesse’s tragic death.

“However, it remains a continuing concern for the Australian community that young people such as Jesse can be left with a belief that taking their own life is the best option when they should be looking forward to the future with hope and optimism,” she said.

“As noted, the Australian Government is taking steps to monitor the prevalence of mental health problems in young Australians. It is to be hoped that with greater attention and resources, future generations of young Australians will benefit from the lessons learnt from the tragic deaths of young people like Jesse.”

Ms Linton found changes to the hospital infrastructure and staffing as well as changes to hospital policy would leave staff in a far better position to contain similar patients and manage them closely until the acute risk had passed.

“With the benefit of hindsight, I agree that the doctors and nurses could have made different decisions, and been more cautious in their approach to treating Jesse and increasing his supervision, which might have resulted in a different outcome, at least that day,” she said.

“However, working within the resources available at the time, and with Jesse’s best interests in mind, I consider the hospital staff did their best to provide Jesse with appropriate medical treatment that also respected his right to be treated in the least restrictive manner available.”

Ms Linton noted Jesse’s mother, Shelley Nottle, and older brother Luke, were still grieving and seeking answers.

“They both feel that Jesse might still be alive if his signs of distress had been treated with more urgency by hospital staff and their concerns, if listened to, should have resulted in closer supervision,” she said.