'Missed opportunity' to assess suicidal patient before his death

A coroner has found there was a "missed opportunity" to assess a higher-risk patient in hospital before the man took his own life.

Stephen Loughead, 50, with an address on the Antrim Road in Belfast, was rescued from a body of water in March 2024, but he died in hospital the following week.

An inquest into his death heard how he was brought to the emergency department at the Mater Hospital by police officers after he visited a police station in the city centre in the early hours of the morning of 15 March.

After waiting at the hospital for several hours, the man left of his own accord and later that morning was seen in a river.

The inquest heard that the time he spent waiting to be assessed by a doctor in the hospital was outside a 10-minute target given that he was considered "actively suicidal".

It was also outlined how it is not unusual for higher-risk patients to arrive at the emergency department and to have to wait longer than the target time for assessment.

It was also explained that there can be several higher-risk patients attending the emergency department on any given night.

The coroner Anne-Louise Toal found that Stephen Loughead was clearly experiencing "deteriorating mental health".

She found that the noisy and busy environment in the emergency department exacerbated his condition and contributed to his decision to leave before being assessed by a doctor.

The coroner said this resulted in "a missed opportunity" to treat his suicidal ideation before he left the hospital and proceeded to make his way to the river.

Coroner Toal said the man, who was not intoxicated, should have been seen by a doctor within 10 minutes but he remained waiting for two hours because of "chronic" pressures on staff at the hospital.

The coroner concluded that the stark reality is that it is difficult to see if anything would be done differently in a similar situation at the hospital at present because of what she described as "a chronic lack of resources".

She described the case as extremely tragic and she expressed her condolences to Stephen Loughead's family.

The inquest heard his organs were donated following his death.

Social media messages at the time of his death described him as "a very good friend" and he was also remembered for "his lovely smile and the good times".

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