Lismore Base Hospital horror: Why was mum Miriam Merten left to die?
STOMACH-CHURNING footage has exposed how mum of two Miriam Merten was drugged, locked up and fatally injured by 25 catastrophic falls at a NSW hospital, while nurses ignored her desperate pleas for help. WARNING — GRAPHIC VIDEO
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HORRIFIC footage of a patient dying after being dumped drugged and naked without any food or water in a hospital’s tiny “seclusion” room for hours has been released to The Daily Telegraph — exposing the disgraceful truth about the lack of staff and resources in our mental health system.
Mother-of-two Miriam Merten fell and hit her head at least 20 times as two nurses meant to be caring for ignored her cries for help in what a coroner later called a “monumentally disgraceful” act of “complete indifference”.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the story of how Ms Merten died on June 3 in 2014 from “brain injury caused by numerous falls” shortly after she was taken out of seclusion in a mental health unit at Lismore Base Hospital.
She had been dumped naked in the room from 11.50pm to 5.10am, was “sedated with psychotropic drugs”, never offered water, was covered in her own faeces and was never even spoken to during the ordeal.
READ MORE: Calls for inquiry after mum of two left to die in hospital corridors
The tiny locked space had no furniture except for a mattress on the floor. And her first fall happened just seconds after she was put into the room.
The two nurses who were supposed to care for Ms Merten relied solely “on a video monitor” to observe her condition. This was strictly against protocols that require basic patient rights like regular pulse checks.
The Coroner’s report, obtained by The Daily Telegraph, found it was “inconceivable that the nature and number of falls were not observed” by the two nurses supposed to be caring for her.
Ms Merten fell again several times after her release from the room too, but not before CCTV cameras recorded her “wandering the corridor naked and covered in excrement while the senior nurse is seen to mop the floor apparently oblivious”.
The Coroner said the “horrific” security footage of a mentally ill person “treated in such an appalling manner is really beyond comprehension”.
The senior nurse on duty, Christine Borthistle, would later blame “poor staffing levels” and “lack of staff numbers” for the fatality.
The Daily Telegraph applied and was granted the shocking CCTV footage of Ms Merten’s treatment with the support of her daughter Corina.
The two nurses were sacked over the incident, with the Coroner concluding Ms Borthistle “deliberately made a decision not to comply” with protocols and had “no intention to cease the seclusion during her shift”.
The “very inexperienced” junior nurse was told to ignore guidelines because of “poor staffing levels” and “lack of staff numbers”.
Corina hopes the public exposure of the footage will finally mean mental health funding and resources — particularly in regional areas — will be taken seriously by the government. Ms Merten was a “well-known patient” at the hospital who could be “manic and abusive”.
She entered the hospital on May 26 and was placed in seclusion on June 1 at 11.50pm. She was “not offered water or opportunity to use the bathroom either prior to seclusion or during the initial 60 minute period”. Ms Merten was put into seclusion naked with a “gown thrown in the room”.
WHAT THE CORONER SAID:
The Coroner’s report found “evidence from CCTV footage discloses the deceased having at least 25 falls between 11.50pm on 1 June and 6.49am on 2 June”.
“The deceased was incontinent of faeces as at 4.40am but was not given access to toilet facility until 5.15am,” it says.
“For a significant period that the deceased was in seclusion she can be seen on the CCTV to be naked.
“No effort was made to assist in having her attired except by apparently throwing a gown (in) the room.”
After seclusion, Ms Merten continued to fall and hit her head — though “minimum” standards of care like “physical observations” and even calling for a doctor were ignored.
“The deceased was provided with no proper care following the obvious falls between 6.38.44am and 6.49.41am … and indeed was treated with complete indifference,” the Coroner found.
Ms Merten was finally transferred to intensive care about 7.20am.
The Coroner found Ms Merten died from “traumatic and hypoxic brain injury caused by numerous falls and the self-beating of her head on various surfaces” about 10.30am on June 3 in 2014.
He said this was “not done with the intention of taking her own life”.
And he specifically requested the findings be sent to the Health Minister.
Northern NSW Local Health District chief executive Wayne Jones said it “acknowledges the tragic death of a patient” and “extends its sympathy to the family and friends of the deceased”.
He said after the fatality “an internal investigation” was launched, which included “conducted audits of clinical practices and internal policy reviews”.
Since then, “increased mandatory training” for mental health staff has been introduced while there has also been “improvements to the skill-mix of mental health staff rostered to certain areas”.
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“Both nurses involved in the case were subsequently referred to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency for investigation,” Mr Jones said.
Both their licences were cancelled.
Ms Borthistle, a nurse with decades of experience, recently passed away “unexpectedly” aged 66.
The Daily Telegraph has chosen not to name the junior nurse on shift.
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