Mother accuses mental health trust of signing her son's death warrant

The family of a fitness instructor killed by a man with paranoid schizophrenia yesterday accused medical staff of in effect signing his death warrant. Matthew Carter, 22, was so badly disfigured by Sean Perry during a random attack two years ago he had to be identified by his DNA.

An independent report published yesterday criticised the care Perry received from the South West London and St George's mental health trust, highlighting a string of failures by those who were supposed to be looking after him.

Speaking after the findings had been released, Carter's mother, Johanne Caton, said the care offered to her son's killer had been "indescribably bad". "I'll never see my son again," she said. "I'll never be grandmother to his children and they've taken all that away from me."

The report into the killing revealed that Perry, who admitted manslaughter at the Old Bailey in 2006 and was detained indefinitely in Broadmoor maximum security hospital, had assaulted a community psychiatric nurse a year before killing Carter but had not been prosecuted.

The authors were concerned that witness statements were only taken three months after the "particularly serious" attack on the nurse. The report added that the failure to bring charges could have been a missed opportunity to tackle Perry's problems as it might have "encouraged him to address his condition and engage with treatment".

The report said Perry was "known to be capable of great violence" and presented a significant risk to others when acutely psychotic. But he was not referred for a forensic assessment because the community care staff looking after him believed this would have been of limited value.

There was also an over-reliance by health workers on using Perry's mother to monitor his progress despite her being "not adequately equipped" for this role. Caton said: "She was going to do anything to prevent him being sectioned. She is his mother. She shouldn't be left to make that decision."

Perry was twice a patient at the trust's Springfield hospital in Tooting but was discharged in June 2005. His family repeatedly warned that he was refusing to take anti-psychotic drugs and urged doctors to monitor him more closely.

The report criticised the fact that Perry had no face-to-face contact with his carers in the 10 weeks leading up to the killing, which happened in February 2006. He was arrested just before the killing for a driving offence and the report said his behaviour then had made the need for further assessment "absolutely clear". Caton said the report was the first time she had been given a comprehensive picture of what happened before the murder. "The more and more I read it, the worse it seems."

Thomas Wright, another of the trust's patients, stabbed his wife 77 times with a kitchen knife at their home in Tooting the same weekend that Carter was killed. Wright's GP had urgently referred him to the trust's local community mental health team a fortnight earlier, but he was not seen. It was also responsible for John Barrett, who killed retired banker Denis Finnegan in Richmond Park in 2004.

Yesterday Peter Houghton, chief executive of the trust, expressed his sympathy to the bereaved families. He said that since the attacks, the trust's mental health early intervention service has trebled in size, risk assessment had improved and staff had been given more training. He said the "terrible events" were an opportunity to stop such events happening again.

Mental Health Board Considers Plan

The Ascension Parish Council is considering a new ordinance that puts the Mental Health Board in an advisory role and states that it “shall not interfere with the day-to-day operations.”

The proposal crops up in connection with a long-running dispute between board members and the director of the Mental Health Unit. Last year, board members unsuccessfully attempted to fire Susan Mittendorf.

At the suggestion of Parish President Tommy Martinez, the council hired Billy Arcement’s firm, The Leadership Strategist, to investigate the history of dissention between the board and the director and to make recommendations.

In a lengthy report Thursday, Arcement suggested adoption of the proposed ordinance spelling out duties and limitations of the board and the director.

Arcement told the council “personnel issues caused turmoil” and “miscommunication, leadership failure and a power struggle” plagued the relationship between the board and the director.

The current ordinance under which the agency operates places the board in both advisory and governance positions, “and you can’t have both,” Arcement said.

“The director is caught in the middle by a board that can’t hire and fire,” he said.

“The board needs to be the watchdog of the funds but has to be relegated to a solely advisory position,” Arcement said.

The consultant further suggested the board meet bimonthly rather than once a month “to prevent micromanaging.”

Also, Arcement said, “Name-calling and stubbornness needs to go away.”

Nevertheless, Arcement said, “The board was committed to mental health and I applaud their efforts.”

The council met in lengthy executive session to discuss the issue and will consider the changes in the ordinance proposed by Arcement after the document is reviewed by the parish legal adviser.

Mental Health Dept To Send Psychiatrists To China

The Deputy Director-General of the Department of Mental Health, Md. Wachira Phengchan, says his department and Sichuan province in China, which was hit by a major earthquake five days ago, have agreed on mental health cooperation. Psychiatrists from the department will travel to provide treatment for people affected by the catastrophe in Sichuan.

Md. Wachira says he has sent a letter of condolence to China and suggested guidelines on mental rehabilitation for the affected people.

The death toll in China is estimated at more than 50,000. Most of the victims are students and teachers.

Md. Wachira says the earthquake has caused great mental impact similar to the 2004 tsunami as the two disasters occurred unexpectedly. During the first two weeks, the affected people may be in shock and grieve over the death of their loved ones. He adds that these people need to have a close mental assessment and urgent assistance Health Insurance.

Should There Be Free Access To The Emergency Contraceptive Pill

Girls may be given free access to the emergency contraceptive pill at their local Auckland pharmacies in a bid to reduce teen pregnancies and abortions.

The medicine can already be sold by many pharmacists without a doctor's prescription, including to girls without parental consent.

Mental Health An Auckland District Health Board committee will consider a staff proposal to make the pill free through community pharmacies in Auckland city.

I do agree that you have a point there. Mental Health It may be true that boys would not always remember to take a male pill but I do think that it would be good if we could somehow make contraception an equal responsibility and not solely the women's job as with the pill and MAP. Perhaps if they could invent the male equivalent of the deproprovera injection and make it available as an option for young men.

Insurers To Patients Heal Thyself Or Pay

Sticking the critically ill with a hefty tab for expensive medications is enough to turn my stomach. But the practice may become widespread among health-insurance companies.

Insurers are embracing new pricing plans for drugs that typically require patients to pay between 20% and 33% of certain high-price medications, according to a report by The New York Times. The plans often require that patients suffering from serious afflictions such as hepatitis C and cancer shell out thousands of dollars, instead of predetermined co-pay amounts.

One such drug, Copaxone, developed by Teva Pharmaceutical(TEVA - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) in Israel, Mental Health is a treatment option for multiple sclerosis patients.

Why shortchange the seriously ill? Apparently, insurers want to keep premiums down. Requiring patients to fork over significant cash to treat a life-threatening illness, however, defeats the purpose of health insurance.

Health insurance premiums for employers increased by 6.1% in 2007 -- two times the rate of inflation, according to the National Coalition on Healthcare, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit health-care advocacy group. The increase parallels the rise in national health expenditures, which were expected to rise 6.9% last year.

It seems that many Americans -- and their employers -- pay more every year to reap less. Sure, there may be coverage for the more predictable medical expenses such as preventive care, childbirth and perhaps an appendectomy. The emerging trend in drug coverage, however, is disturbing evidence of diminishing coverage for Americans who need it most -- and who are, perhaps, the least capable of fighting back.

Medical expenses seem to consume more of my family's bottom line every year. That's scary, because my family enjoys the best situation possible. We're a healthy bunch with good coverage under a free employer-sponsored plan. But our coverage has changed over the years, due to rising, employer-funded premiums.

We once enjoyed the former gold standard -- Mental Health a fee-for-service service plan under which we could freely choose our medical providers, visit specialists without referrals and reap 80% coverage for allowable expenses. A "point of service" plan ultimately replaced that coverage. We choose from a network of physicians, whom we can see for nominal co-pays, or we can visit out-of-network doctors, which are typically covered at 70%.

I've never allowed the lure of inexpensive co-pays to dictate the selection of my family's medical professionals. That's especially true when it comes to my children. They see an out-of-network pediatric group that doesn't accept insurance. Some people have gasped when I've mentioned this -- Mental Health and erroneously assumed that the doctors were unreasonable ogres.

But their insistence on steering clear of insurance companies has meant superior care for my children. It's an office where people remember my name, take their time while speaking with me, and make recommendations based on medical protocol -- not whether we've exceeded a limit for strep tests. As for payment, I write a check and submit the bill to my insurance, just like my mother did upon visiting my old-fashioned childhood pediatrician.

Mental Health It's always a bonus when my favorite physicians are in-network providers. But I'm also resigned to pay the 30% in some circumstances. The latter option, however, requires me to weigh risks and benefits. For example, if my "out of network" physician discovers a problem that may someday be the onset of a major illness, my family could be stuck with less generous "out of network" insurance reimbursements throughout the process.

In a perfect world, none of us would have to contemplate how to get the most for our health care bucks, or contemplate financial devastation due to illness. Choosing medical services requires far more serious considerations than buying bulk cereal at Costco.

All I Wanted For Christmas A New Figure Mental Health

The pain was easier than expected and could be managed with just paracetamol, Mental Health unless I overtaxed my body’s adjustments to its new shape - which could happen merely by carrying shopping or even typing.

Outpatient nurses showed me how to manage the dressings and minimise scarring through massage, and dispensed calm advice when I rang in a panic.

Gradually I found my pace, often needing to lie down after a walk or bath (sitting upright to ensure no water could get in until the scars healed).Mental Health After five permanently sports-bra’d weeks sleeping on my back, daubed in cocoa butter to prevent scarring, I went back to work. It took six more weeks for my energy to return.

A year ago, Mental Health I got a fabulous Christmas present of a 36D bust. From the friend exclaiming “They’re 60 per cent smaller!” to the unknowing colleague demanding my diet secrets, the reaction has been positive.

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Linicians Call For Politicians The Mental Health System

Health and Community Services Union state secretary Lloyd Williams said six clinicians had painted a picture for parliamentarians including Minister for Mental Health Lisa Neville during a meeting this week Mental Health.

The clinicians talked to the minister about the failings of mental health services and difficulties providing quality outcomes for people living with mental health issues in Geelong Mental Health, Mr Williams said Mental Health.

The talks followed union claims that the city’s psychiatric services were in disastrous condition and that Barwon Health’s Swanston Centre had the lowest number of acute mental health care beds per capita in the state.Mental Health It is really important that we hold the local parliamentary representatives accountable for mental health services in Geelong Mental Health.

Linicians Call For Politicians The Mental Health System

Health and Community Services Union state secretary Lloyd Williams said six clinicians had painted a picture for parliamentarians including Minister for Mental Health Lisa Neville during a meeting this week Mental Health.

The clinicians talked to the minister about the failings of mental health services and difficulties providing quality outcomes for people living with mental health issues in Geelong Mental Health, Mr Williams said Mental Health.

The talks followed union claims that the city’s psychiatric services were in disastrous condition and that Barwon Health’s Swanston Centre had the lowest number of acute mental health care beds per capita in the state.Mental Health It is really important that we hold the local parliamentary representatives accountable for mental health services in Geelong Mental Health.

Immigrants Criticize Mental Health Care For Detainees

His court response denied any wrongdoing and pointed to the government as responsible for detainee health care. Maldonado said he eventually will include U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Public Health Service, which runs medical clinics inside immigration prisons, where more than 60 detainees have died in the past four years Mental Health.

Public Health Service officials referred calls to ICE officials, who declined to comment Mental Health. We’re interested in making sure people are being treated well — they’re human beings before they’re illegals Mental Health.

Not all prison managers for the private and public outfits that contract with ICE to house immigrant detainees are happy with their middleman role concerning medical care Mental Health Cooking School.