At the request of Counsel Assisting me at the inquest, Ms Kate Hodder, an assessment of the care provided to Ms Potter prior to her death was carried out by Professor R D Goldney. Professor Goldney has had extensive experience in academic and clinical psychiatry in general and mental hospital and private practice settings for many years. He is a part-time Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide. The detention order Professor Goldney said that Dr initial assessment of Ms Potter, in particular Lawry’s her Mental State Examination was and well He said that ‘good documented’ (T153). it was to her credit that Dr Lawry was prepared to act on the collateral history presented to her by the Community Mental Health Workers, and that she detained Ms Potter for further assessment even though her mental state on presentation was not markedly abnormal. He agreed with Dr decision to detain her (T154). Lawry’s Open or closed ward? Following Dr assessment, she placed Ms Potter on the waiting list for a bed Lawry’s in an open psychiatric ward, rather than what is now known as an bed ‘intensive care’ in Brentwood South Ward, on the basis of her presentation. Professor Goldney described this as a ‘reasonable conclusion’ (T155). Confirmation review Professor Goldney accepted that Dr decision to confirm the detention Marmanidis’ order was appropriate. He noted that she was an independent consultant who had not treated Ms Potter previously. He said that it was in the nature of such reviews that it is a and that the order was confirmed on the basis that Ms ‘fairly quick process’, Potter’s condition had not changed markedly since Dr original order (T159). Lawry’s Order to transfer It was common ground that Dr Beckwith signed the Form 8, certifying that it was appropriate to transfer Ms Potter, without seeing her or assessing her mental state. In particular, Dr Beckwith was unaware that, if we disregard Dr review, Marmanidis’ she had not been properly assessed by a psychiatrist since Dr original Lawry’s assessment on 5 March 2003. Professor Goldney was critical of this process. He said that in the acute stage of a psychiatric illness, it is necessary that a patient should be properly assessed every day,
At the request of Counsel Assisting me at the inquest, Ms Kate Hodder, an assessment of the care provided to Ms Potter prior to her death was carried out by Professor R D Goldney. Professor Goldney has had extensive experience in academic and clinical psychiatry in general and mental hospital and private practice settings for many years. He is a part-time Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Adelaide. The detention order Professor Goldney said that Dr Lawry’s initial assessment of Ms Potter, in particular her Mental State Examination was ‘good and well documented’ (T153). He said that it was to her credit that Dr Lawry was prepared to act on the collateral history presented to her by the Community Mental Health Workers, and that she detained Ms Potter for further assessment even though her mental state on presentation was not markedly abnormal. He agreed with Dr Lawry’s decision to detain her (T154). Open or closed ward? Following Dr Lawry’s assessment, she placed Ms Potter on the waiting list for a bed in an open psychiatric ward, rather than what is now known as an ‘intensive care’ bed in Brentwood South Ward, on the basis of her presentation. Professor Goldney described this as a ‘reasonable conclusion’ (T155). Confirmation review Professor Goldney accepted that Dr Marmanidis’ decision to confirm the detention order was appropriate. He noted that she was an independent consultant who had not treated Ms Potter previously. He said that it was in the nature of such reviews that it is a ‘fairly quick process’, and that the order was confirmed on the basis that Ms Potter’s condition had not changed markedly since Dr Lawry’s original order (T159). Order to transfer It was common ground that Dr Beckwith signed the Form 8, certifying that it was appropriate to transfer Ms Potter, without seeing her or assessing her mental state. In particular, Dr Beckwith was unaware that, if we disregard Dr Marmanidis’ review, she had not been properly assessed by a psychiatrist since Dr Lawry’s original assessment on 5 March 2003. Professor Goldney was critical of this process. He said that in the acute stage of a psychiatric illness, it is necessary that a patient should be properly assessed every day,
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