Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The funeral of Adam Loughnane is taking place in Galway today. Adam made the decision to end his own life in the River Corrib in Galway city last week. I have been contacted by his family in relation to this, which has obviously had a devastating impact on them.

Adam had a very traumatic life and was registered with mental health services in Galway. He previously made an attempt to take his own life seven years ago. Adam's brother, Joe, was informed that Adam contacted his mental health support worker from COPE Galway on the morning of his death. It was clear that he was distressed while in the company of the support worker, so the decision was made to contact mental health services in University Hospital Galway. Once contact was made, Adam packed a bag and the support worker drove him to the hospital. Once he was at the hospital, he presented at accident and emergency where a triage nurse checked him out. Adam made it clear to hospital staff that he wanted to end his life. The hospital decided that he needed to be checked by the mental health team but they were otherwise occupied. Adam waited for a short period before leaving the hospital completely unsupervised. He then made his way to the river where he took his last breath. This was told to Adam's brother by a doctor from the hospital, who herself could not understand why Adam was not monitored. The questions the family have include why the hospital let him leave the premises unsupervised when he had clearly expressed suicidal thoughts, and why he was never advised by the various services that he was involved with to enter a mental health institution where he could have slowly recovered from a traumatic life.

This is a desperately sad case. It raises questions about our mental health services and the protocols our hospitals have in place to care for those with mental health issues, especially those who present with and express suicidal intentions. Will the Minister of State engage with the family on this case, assist them in getting answers to these very important questions, and work to ensure this does not happen again to somebody in a similar situation?

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