P.E.I. to hold inquest examining 2010 suicide at Hillsborough Hospital

P.E.I.'s chief coroner has announced an inquest looking into the suicide death of Catherine Shirley Gillis, who died Feb. 14, 2010, at Hillsborough Hospital atage69.

• Daughter of suicide victim wonders if death could have been prevented

It's entirely possible that my family's tragedy could have been averted or prevented.SophiaBall

There was no immediate clarification available from government as to whether Gillis was a patient at the hospital at the time.

Questions about Hillsborough suicides

Questions were raised earlier this week by the daughter of another suicide victim as to how government dealt with Gillis's death.

Sherry Ball took her own life on Dec. 1, 2013, while a patient at Hillsborough Hospital, P.E.I.'s main psychiatric facility.

Her daughter Sophia Ball said this week she wanted to know what changes were made at the hospital following the previous suicide more than three years before her mother died.

Ball wanted to know what recommendations were made in the review that followed the 2010 death, she said, and when or whether those were implemented.

"And if they were the same as my mother's recommendations, the recommendations that came out of that inquest, it's entirely possible that my family's tragedy could have been averted or prevented," Ball said."That's incredibly important."

Ball told CBC News she was pleased to hear the inquest has now been launched.

"Although I'm disappointed that this process is being started six years after the event, I'm pleased to hear that due diligence is being followed in regards to the 2010 suicide," she said in a written message.

"I believe that we should always be collectively striving to make sure our care facilities are the best they can possibly be, and that includes responding appropriately and in a timely fashion in the unfortunate event of any tragic circumstances."

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Internal review by Health PEI

Last week a spokesperson for Health PEI told CBC News in an emailthat the agency conducted an internal review following a "sudden and unexpected patientdeath" at Hillsborough Hospital in 2010 "to determine what transpired and identify opportunities, if any, to put measures in place to reduce the likelihood of such an event happening again."

Several recommendations were made and have since been implemented, the spokesperson wrote.

Details about the case couldn't be shared,including the factit was a suicide, "out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of the patient involved and their family," the email said.

Inquest must be held in some cases

An inquest must be held when an inmate or involuntary patient at a public facility dies, unless the coroner determines the death was entirely due to natural causes, according to P.E.I.'s Coroners Act.

In the case of a patient who's there voluntarily, there's no automatic requirement for an inquest. However, the act does direct the chief coroner to hold an inquest any time he or she believes one is necessary to "bring dangerous practices or conditions to light and facilitate the making of recommendations to avoid preventable deaths."

When CBC News contacted P.E.I.'s chief coroner, Dr. Des Colohan, earlier this year, he said he was not familiar with the 2010 death. He became the province's chief coroner in 2015.

The inquest will be heard by coroner Dr. Roy Montgomery, who also heard the inquest in Feb. 2016 into the death of Sherry Ball.

The Gillis inquest is expected to be held in the fall of 2017.

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