Stephen Douglas: The tragedy exposing the complexity of mental health care
The story of a mental health nurse killed during a home visit.
Stephen Douglas was fatally stabbed during a home visit to a patient who believed he was a “hit man” sent to kill him
The nurse, who worked with the Camperdown Community Mental Health Service in Sydney, had opted to make the visit following growing concerns about the deterioration in Peter Kemball, who had first been diagnosed with schizophrenia back in 2002.
An inquest was told that about 45 minutes before Mr Douglas arrived, Mr Kemball had spoken to his father about the visit and asked: “This case manager, Stevie Douglas, who is my hit man, and I’m his job, right?”
He then added: “I’ll call you after I kill him.”
