VICTORIA, B.C.: Claire Rattée, Conservative Critic for Mental Health, Addictions and Housing Supports, is calling for immediate action after a Nanaimo man died by suicide just 35 minutes after being released from hospital care. Jesse Flowerdew had sought help at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and was admitted to the psychiatric unit for two nights after expressing thoughts of self-harm. He was later deemed not a threat to himself and released.
No one notified his family.
He took a cab home and commit suicide shortly after arriving.
Flowerdew had a long history of mental health struggles and had nearly died from a suicide attempt at the same hospital five years earlier, when he was held involuntarily. “This was preventable,” said Rattée. “A man in crisis was admitted to hospital, held for two nights, and then sent home alone, without anyone even calling his family. Thirty-five minutes later, he was dead.”
Rattée said the failure lies with government policy, not frontline workers. “This is not about the doctors and nurses doing their best in a broken system,” she said. “This is about a system that does not require something as basic as notifying a family before sending someone in crisis home alone.”
Rattée pointed to the government’s inaction. “Our caucus previously brought forward legislation to strengthen protections for people in mental health crisis, including better communication with families. The NDP shut it down,” she said. “Now we learn the government hasn’t even started the Mental Health Act review they promised. While they delay, British Columbians are paying the price.”
Rattée echoes Daisy Bolton’s call for the following:
- Mandatory family or designated contact notification when a patient who has expressed intent to harm themselves or others is being discharged.
- Inclusion of families in discharge and care planning, especially when a patient is in a vulnerable state.
- Stronger discharge planning requirements, including confirmed safe transportation and follow-up care.
- Clear accountability and documentation when decisions are made to release high-risk individuals.
“The ask is simple,” Rattée added. “One phone call. That’s it. The NDP refused to act before. They cannot ignore this again.”
Rattée was joined by Jesse Flowerdew’s wife and family at the Legislature. The family has asked that the focus remains on fixing the system, not blaming frontline staff.
– 30 –
Media Contact:
Francesca Guetchev, Press Secretary
Francesca.Guetchev@leg.bc.ca
+1 (672) 922-0948
