Coronial inquest launched into care of involuntary patient who died of suspected clot

A coronial inquest opened at Albury Local Court to scrutinize the care provided to Kate Manley, 46, who was an involuntary patient at Albury Base Hospital and died of a suspected pulmonary embolism on 16 November 2022. Counsel Patrick Rooney told Coroner Rebecca Hosking that Manley entered the emergency department in a distressed state, was placed in Nolan House on 11 November, and was later diagnosed with catatonia. Over the following days she remained largely non-responsive, complained of neck pain, and received limited food before being moved back to a medical ward where she received IV fluids and died around 2 am.

Witnesses said she was mobile on admission, did not wear compression stockings, and that a VTE risk-assessment tool was only introduced after her death. The inquiry will focus on whether the hospital’s treatment met policy standards, if the mental-health diagnosis was appropriate, and whether monitoring procedures were properly applied.