A Coroner has had to intervene in a spat about the use of a de-escalation room and other facilities at Wellington’s mental health unit, during the ongoing inquest into the death of Samuel Fischer.
Human rights campaigner Jak Wild has spent the majority of today questioning one of the nurses who cared for Mr Fischer regularly.
He introduced pictures of the room to evidence, which he called a "seclusion room".
The nurse, who has name suppression, said he was unable to answer questions about a seclusion room because the room in which Mr Fischer had been put is a de-escalation room.
He said this was where he would go when he was distressed or angry, and that Mr Fischer would sometimes request that he go there. The nurse said the door was left open, so Mr Fischer could leave at any time.
In the room he would spend time talking with the nurse, or the nurse would be stationed outside. He would be given medication and have quiet time to calm down.
But Mr Wild said Mr Fischer spent too long in the room, noting at one point he was in there for up to three hours.
"It is punitive treatment" he said.
Mr Wild regularly visited the ward and claims Mr Fischer was also not given enough access to the prayer room and music room.
He said he never saw the sensory room, which includes a massage chair and soothing music, used by any patient during any of the times he was there. He also claims Mr Fischer was never given access to the gym.
The nurse disputed much of this, saying Mr Fischer never had any interest in using the gym.
He said he often allowed Mr Fischer, who was fiercely religious, time to pray, occasionally in the prayer room but also elsewhere in the unit.
The nurse said the sensory room was used, but that the door would be shut when in use, telling Mr Wild it would be unlikely he would know from his visits whether the room was in use or not.
Continuous objection from other counsel as to the relevance of Mr Wild’s questioning, forced Coroner Peter Ryan to step in to clarify.
He allowed photos of the rooms in question into evidence but warned Mr Wild about straying too far from the brief.
The inquest, which was supposed to finish today, will continue into next week and possibly to later in the year.
Mr Fischer was 34 when he died in April 2015 from suspected suicide in Wellington’s mental health ward for patients with acute needs.
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