The death of Jerzy Madrzyk raises serious questions about one-to-one care mental health patients receive in inpatient hospitals, a Barnet mental health charity claimed this week.
Mr Madrzyk's partially decomposed body was found at the Welsh Harp, West Hendon, on June 19, after he had been missing from the Dennis Scott psychiatric unit at Edgware Hospital for 17 days.
Mr Madrzyk, 55, of Goldsmith Road, Friern Barnet, had suffered from depression most of his life and was admitted to the unit on May 31.
Monica Madrzyk, 51, his wife of nearly 25 years, said: "He was in total desperation; his depression was clinical, deep and very serious. He needed care and he didn't get it. You must not leave people with depression alone, but he was left lonely."
Elsie Lyons, co-ordinator of Barnet Voice for Mental Health, said: "This case highlights an ongoing problem within inpatient hospitals. This is that insufficient time is spent by nursing staff in sitting down and allowing the person to talk."
A spokeswoman for Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust said it would be examining the care provided for Mr Madrzyk, who was admitted to Edgware Hospital as an informal patient.
July 4, 2002 10:30
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