Open-ward accommodation

Press, 24 March 1988, Page 9

Open-ward accommodation

PA . i Auckland I j A man acquitted of two murder charges on the ground of insanity was last night sharing accommodation with patients in an open ward of Carrington Hospital.

|i He was the third committed patient in 24 Hours to be sent to Carrington without prior warning from the courts. (I The acting medical superintendent, Dr Peter McGeorge, last evening charged the courts with “discourteous and inconsiderate” treatment of the patients and hospital. I “It is absolutely staggering,’! he said. *lThe courts cannot as-

sume that we have a never-ending supply of beds.” I !:•’ [Two of the | three patients f- the one.acquitted of the double murder and another acquitted on a charge of murder on the ground of insanity arrived at Carrington without! psychiatric reports, carrying only committal papers. (Dr McGeorge said the third, who faces a rape charge, ! carried !;: (the wrong papers. I i I He' was turned! away, but the Others spent .two nights in an open acute ward at! Carrington I before being transferred. “The thing! that con-

cerns me is (that we have only a; certain number of beds. | ”1!

“Some people are being housed in the same ; wards as men or women with depression. It is terj . Dr McGeorge said the special patients required extra care in an already highly I demanding environment. This made for tremendous strain on staff. i “In many cases the special patients get put in seclusion, for a number of weeks.” That course was undesirable, he said. “It seems to me to be most inconsiderate of the

courts to dump those patients, but we acknowledge our responsibility to provide. psychiatric care.” I Dr McGeorge said that the public could not expect Carrington to function properly if it was being treated inconsiderately] “but we end up with the blame.”

i Dr McGeorge had I asked tq meet court re- , gistrars ; and judges to I resolve the (situation. ! “They! have agreed in principle, (but it is a mat- i (ter of (getting something I finalised. Meanwhile, (people out there are still (getting sick.”