The NSW Coroner has ruled that no inquest will be held into the death of Port Kembla man Nikola Nastovski who died unexpectedly at Shellharbour Hospital’s mental health unit last May.
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The cause of death for the 49-year-old has been officially recorded as cardiac arrhythmia, caused by a narrowing of the right coronary artery.
Mr Nastovski was found dead in his bed at the Mirrabrook mental health unit on May 4, 2017.
Two staff were stood down over the incident, while the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) conducted an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
ISLHD mental health director Caroline Langston said the district’s mental health service was committed to providing the community with “safe and high quality care”.
“The tragic and unexpected death of Mr Nastovski while he was an inpatient was the subject of an internal inquiry and referred to the Coroner,” she said.
“Staff members stood down at the time are no longer employed with the Local Health District.”
Observation practices at Shellharbour Hospital’s mental health facilities have come under scrutiny in recent years, after the killing of 47-year-old Joseph Gumley by his roommate at the Eloura West unit in 2014.
Paul Hindmarsh, 31, fatally assaulted Mr Gumley with the dead man's own electric guitar some time between 6.30am and 7.50am on July 31 of that year. Hindmarsh was found not guilty of murder due to mental illness in February 2016, but was detained under mental health legislation.
Less than 12 months later after that incident, in May 2015, four nurses were stood down at the Eloura mental health unit after a female patient was left unchecked and fled in the middle of the night. The woman was reported missing by staff on duty at the Eloura mental health unit at 2am, and was later returned by police.
However Ms Langston said: “The district’s mental health service has undertaken significant work in recent years to strengthen the delivery of appropriate clinical care levels and associated observations”.
In addition to local initiatives, she said staff had received updated training on the new NSW Health policy on observation in mental health inpatient units introduced in August 2017.
“Random compliance audits are undertaken within the service – to date audits show full compliance,” she said.
The district also participated in the recent review of all NSW mental health services. The NSW Government has accepted the review’s recommendations and will release an implementation plan shortly.
“ISLHD will work with our consumers, staff and the Ministry of Health to help implement recommendations as they relate to our local mental health services,” Ms Langston said.
