DHB confirms man in Waikato River was mental health patient on unescorted leave

A person missing in the Waikato River and presumed dead is a patient from Waikato DHB's mental health unit. 

On Sunday morning police launched a search for a man spotted in the river near Hamilton's Cobham Bridge. 

It is understood a group of joggers saw the man fall into the water and despite a search by boat, he was unable to be found. Police continued the search on Monday.

After initially refusing to comment, the DHB has confirmed the man was a patient and that he is dead.  

"We can't confirm the exact circumstances of this man's tragic death, due to patient and family privacy. The matter will be referred to the coroner and the DHB will conduct a review into the death," Vicki Aitken, Executive Director, Mental Health & Addictions Service, and Dr Rees Tapsell, Director of Clinical Services, Mental Health & Addictions Service, said in a statement to Stuff. 

"We can say that he was an inpatient who was at the stage of transitioning to live in the community, he did not return from his "approved" unescorted leave Sunday morning (25 August).

"Once it was clear that he had not returned as arranged, and was not in the immediate environs of the Henry Rongomau Bennett Centre, the police were notified and staff worked closely with the police and family in attempting to locate him. Any death like this is a tragedy for the family and we are now supporting them through this difficult time, as well as supporting our staff."

The incident has striking similarities to that of Hamilton man Nicky Stevens, 21, who was in the care of the facility when he disappeared while on unescorted leave in 2015. 

His body was later found in the Waikato River.

His death sparked multiple inquiries and in 2018 Coroner Wallace Bain ruled Stevens' death was avoidable and that granting him unescorted leave was "unreasonable and unnecessary risk". 

The coroner recommended that the DHB review its escorted leave policy.

In his findings Coroner Bain stated there were "deficiencies in care" provided to Stevens that if not present could have reduced his personal risk. 

Within weeks of being admitted he was assessed as being able to take unescorted leave, the report said, this is despite Stevens being psychotic, and suffering from hallucinations and saying he "wanted to be on the other side".

"The treatment Nicholas received was well short of what he and his parents would have expected. As a result of deficiencies in his care, he was able to take his own life in the precise manner and place that he had previously said he would."

One of the recommendations made by the Coroner urged Waikato DHB to review its escorted leave policy, saying leave allocations for patients should be more closely monitored and those allowing patients to leave a closed ward should be able to quickly establish if they returned.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority also upheld complaints made by Stevens' family over failings of police to take any action in the 48 hours after Nicky was reported missing. 

Stevens's father Dave Macpherson was horrified when told of the situation by Stuff.  Macpherson said he and his whānau would support the patient's family when they are ready. 

"I'm almost speechless," Macpherson said. "We feel like everything we've said and done they just went through the motions of how to get rid of it - have our issue out of the way. 
"Have all the lessons been ignored? Have they learned nothing?

"They've got policies to stop this sort of thing. Risk analysis and all that sort of s... and then this happens - is it for nothing?"

Macpherson said right now the family needed to be surrounded by their loved ones during this time, but advised that someone within the family to request information. 

"We are more than happy to help them when they are ready, which won't be straight away."   

"If someone can ask right now for every little thing on the file from the Waikato DHB before they line up their wagons and work out legal ways to stop them (family) from accessing it. When we asked early and got a lot more information." 

Macpherson, who was a member of the health board before it was disestablished, said the mental health industry needed a clean out. 

"The mental health industry believes it knows best and clearly they don't."  

In Sunday's incident police confirmed they responded to reports of a man in the Waikato River at 8.30am. 

A man was last seen near Cobham Drive between 8.15am and 8.30am, Waikato police Senior Sergeant Pete Simpson said. 

As the man seen in the river was yet to be formally identified, police couldn't confirm whether he was a DHB inpatient. 

The Police Dive Squad were searching the river near Cobham Drive on Monday, with a boat to scour the area throughout the afternoon. 

Police would like to hear from anyone who saw a man, wearing a grey hoodie, in the area between 8.15 and 8.35am on Sunday. 

As inquiries were ongoing, police wouldn't be commenting further, Simpson said.