Practice of tying up mental health patients virtually eliminated in wake of Oakden scandal

Public health facilities in SA have almost eliminated the practice of tying up mental health patients in the wake of the 2017 Oakden scandal.

Stewart Johnston, son of an Oakden victim, speaking to media on aged care Royal Commission. Photo — Naomi Jellicoe

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Public health facilities in South Australia have almost eliminated the practice of tying up mental health patients in the wake of the 2017 Oakden aged-care scandal.

In the 2015-16 financial year before Oakden was exposed, carers used the method 2057 times in SA, the worst in the nation.

SA Health has revealed in the 2017-18 financial year, the latest figures available, the practice was used only 65 times.

Tying down patients to beds or chairs is the most intrusive form of restraint used by doctors and nurses during episodes when patients are extremely disturbed.

The public was outraged when in 2017 it was revealed that an average of more than five elderly patients were restrained each day at the public Oakden mental health facility, which was later shut down.

Many of the victims of shackling in SA — usually with jackets, leather or nylon straps — are elderly patients suffering dementia, who cannot be controlled by drugs or handheld restraint.

The state’s chief psychiatrist, Dr John Brayley, welcomed the improvement in SA Health records, but said more needed to be done.

“While noting the improvements, we remain concerned about the use of restraint and seclusion in South Australia and further improvement work will continue,’’ he said.

SA Health revealed the figures to The Advertiser following an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report into chemical, handheld and shackling restraint in each state and territory.

That report, for 2016-2017, showed while SA had the lowest rate of handheld restraint, it still had the highest rate of shackling in that year – 448 times.

The latest figures, soon to be published in the latest national report, would be based on the previous year’s figures rank SA as using shackles the least of any state or territory.

Spokesman for several families of residents of the former Oakden facility, Stewart Johnston, said the figures should be viewed with caution.

“What happened at Oakden was that there were 87 people there, only 16 went to Northgate when it was closed and the remainder were mysteriously reclassified and sent to mainstream (including private) nursing homes,’’ he said.

“So the figures without a doubt can be distorted. But I am told (by families) there have been improvements and there is no comparison whatsoever at Northgate to what people went through at Oakden.”

Mr Johnston was a driving figure in the campaign which resulted in the closing of Oakden, because his mother Helen suffered “horrific” abuse there.