Waikato DHB gets it wrong – again.

Similarities between 'escaped pair' situation and disappearance of Nicky Stevens

The 'escape' of two men from a supposedly secure Ward at Waikato Hospital's Henry Bennett Centre brings back unpleasant memories of the incompetence of Hospital management, say the parents of Nicky Stevens.

The latest episode comes less than four weeks after our son, Nicky Stevens, left the Centre on unescorted leave and was later found dead in the Waikato River. Nicky was under a compulsory care order in the Centre when he left on the afternoon of March 9. His absence was not noticed by staff or some time.

"Despite Waikato DHB CEO Nigel Murray claiming that there is "no correlation" between our son's departure and the latest episode, we believe there are many similarities," said Nicky's father Dave Macpherson.

"First and foremost are slack management, followed by slack security procedures."

"In our son's case we warned about these before Nicky died, and following his death we said these sort of instances would not be the last," Mr Macpherson said.

"For instance, there is no recording of either patients or inmates going in or out of many areas within the Centre, including so-called secure areas."

"There is also no proper 'handover' procedure, when a staff member responsible for a patient leaves for a break, and other staff take over. This failure was a direct part of our son's situation, and we believe may also be the case in the situation of these two 'escapees'.

"For Dr Murray, who has just arrived from Canada, to claim there is "no correlation" between the two circumstances, just shows how little he knows about the institution he is responsible for."

Nicky's mother Jane Stevens said "It hurts also to see this CEO jump to and promise an independent external review of Henry Bennett Centre security when two patients 'escape' because they might be some danger to the public – when the same person hasn't even spoken one word to us, since our son died while in his organisation's care, when we called for the same sort of enquiry."

"He clearly doesn't think the security lapses involved in our son's situation are that important."

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