Kahi Simon's mum says his death reveals gaps in mental health system

Newcastle woman Kelly Kay has experienced every parent's worst nightmare.

Readers are advised this article contains references to mental health and suicide. Kahi Simon's name and image are used with the permission of his family.

In October last year, her "kind and creative" 20-year-old son Kahi Simon took his own life.

It happened days after he was discharged from Taree Hospital's mental health unit, where he was admitted after an earlier suicide attempt.

"We tried to keep him in there [the unit] longer, and even he was asking if he could stay longer," she said.

But despite their best efforts, Kahi was released, and panic set in for Ms Kay.

"We called every [outpatient mental health] service and facility we could think of," she said. 

"We were faced with long waitlists or he didn't fit the criteria."

One acute health service told Ms Kay they wouldn't accept Kahi because he was deemed "too high-risk".

"We just felt helpless," she said.

Despite Kahi being back in Newcastle, Ms Kay reached out to Taree Hospital, to see if he could be readmitted.

"But they told me, 'No, he needs to go to your local hospital,'" she said.

Ms Kay said Kahi had refused to go to a hospital in Newcastle, because he didn't feel comfortable, and already had built relationships with the staff in Taree. 

Ms Kay managed to secure a bed in a private hospital for Kahi. 

"But the date [he could go in] got pushed back another two weeks," she said. 

It was five days after being discharged that Kahi passed.

Family, community devastated 

Ms Kay said the pain she felt was difficult to describe.

"My world just fell apart," she said.

Kahi was a First Nations man of Worimi heritage and Ms Kay said the local Indigenous community was deeply affected by his passing.

"It sent ripples through the community," she said. 

"His funeral was in Forster … more than 1,500 people were there.

"It showed how many lives he had touched."

Change needed

Ms Kay and Kahi's stepmum Katrina Mason believe Kahi's condition wasn't taken seriously during his stay at Taree Hospital, and that he was discharged too soon.

"We were saying to them … he's not well, this is the worst we've ever seen him," Ms Mason said.

"Then later we found out they reduced his risk level and put him into a section of the hospital where he could just walk out the door."

They were also "disappointed" he was not allowed back.

"We continually felt like it was all about protocols and ticking boxes instead of the person standing in front of them," Ms Kay said.

Due to patient privacy, Hunter New England Health said it could not comment on the incident.

Ms Kay said she also never received any follow up from hospital staff once Kahi was released and believed guidance for families in that situation is vital.

"There isn't a clear pathway or place to turn to," she said.

"Resources are hard to navigate or just unavailable; finding a safe space, should be easier.

A widespread issue 

CEO of the Lake Macquarie & Newcastle Suicide Prevention Network Bradley Dunn said Ms Kay's experience was not isolated. 

"It's a lot more common than we would like to hear," he said.

“[In hospitals] it's the systemic issue, it's the challenge of the policies and the practices."

Mr Dunn said with so many people experiencing mental health disorders, support is struggling to keep up. 

Bardi woman Pat Dudgeon, director of the Centre for Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention, said many health facilities lacked cultural understanding and responsiveness.

"For most Aboriginal people, their connection to family and country is very strong," Professor Dudgeon said.

"For [Kahi] to return to hospital in his own country, where family or community connections are … where he felt comfortable receiving care, is important.

"Cultural responsiveness training is certainly a way forward."

Ms Mason said she would also like to see more work around suicide prevention.

"I would like to see interventions available early, in particular for young men and that they don't just involve going to see a counsellor," she said.

In a statement given to the ABC, NSW Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson said she recognised the urgent need for change. 

"We are currently developing whole-of-government suicide-prevention legislation within this term of parliament, a process that began with consultations with people who have lived and living experience of suicidal distress," the statement read.

Ms Jackson said the NSW government had also allocated $30.4 million over four years to expand Community Mental Health Teams across targeted areas, including regional NSW.

"This is in addition to a number of services, including Safe Havens and Suicide Prevention Outreach Teams, being delivered by NSW Health," the statement read.

Kahi's legacy

Ms Kay has founded the Kahi Simon Fund, not only to raise money for and awareness of suicide prevention, but to bring Kahi's unrealised dream of being a designer to life and create a clothing brand in his honour. 

The fund has raised more than $40,000, which Ms Kay said would be used in partnership with the Lake Macquarie Suicide Prevention Network to create a new mental health and wellbeing hub in the Hunter.

"It will be staffed with social workers, mental health professionals and individuals with lived experience and holistic healing support," she said. 

Mr Dunn said services like these were vital, but so were the driving forces behind them.