Dear Mr Edwards,

I write this letter to register my disgust and also to inform you of the bureaucratic nonsense that currently prevails when a Veteran suffers a psychotic breakdown. I will document the chain of events below, which I was involved in.

On Sunday the 9th of April 2000 I received a phone call at approximately 1600hrs from a neighbour of Ken Freeman, a Veteran, who I had been dealing with and assisting in submitting a claim for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to Veterans Affairs. The neighbour told me that Ken had informed him that he was about to commit suicide and was in a very poor state of mind and appeared to have completely broken down.

I inquired of the neighbour if he was prepared to keep Ken safe whilst I arranged his admittance to the Hollywood Clinic which at that point I thought was put in place to deal with such emergencies. I then rang the Hollywood Clinic and spoke with the duty staff and informed them of what had transpired and also informed them that Ken had been attending Dr Oleh Kaye, Psychiatrist, and was in possession of a report that had been sent to the Veterans Affairs Department in support of his claim for Post Traumatic Stress. I then requested that I deliver Ken to the Clinic for immediate treatment given his state of mind. I was advised by the duty staff that they could not admit Ken even though there was adequate bedspace, because they needed a referral from a Psychiatrist before the admittance could take place. I then informed the staff that Dr Oleh Kaye could not be contacted and could they suggest an alternative with a view to having Ken admitted to the Clinic for treatment as soon as possible. I was then informed to take him to either Royal Perth Hospital or Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital to see the resident Psychiatrist for a referral.

I arrived at the emergency department of Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital at 1722hrs the same day. Ken was seen in the emergency department by the Medical Doctor on duty who I advised what was required of him, to have Ken transferred to the Hollywood Clinic for immediate treatment. He then advised us that the resident Psychiatrist would see Ken in due course. At approximately 0130hrs on 10th April 2000, some eight hours later, Ken was finally seen to by the resident Psychiatrist.

I must inform you, those eight hours I spent with Ken without any help from any medical professional in the waiting room of the Sir Charles Gairdner Emergency Department were somewhat upsetting to say the least. Ken was admitted to hospital at approximately 0200hrs on the 10th April 2000 and I was informed by the resident Psychiatrist that Ken would be transferred to the Hollywood Clinic later that morning. I then left the hospital at approximately 0215hrs, 10th April 2000.

At approximately 0830hrs on the 10th April 2000, I received a phone call from the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital resident Psychiatrist informing me that despite his referral, the Clinic would still not accept Ken, as approval to admit him had not been received from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and could I sort it out. I then rang the Veterans Affairs Department to ascertain why Ken was not being transferred to the Clinic. I was advised that until he could furnish proof that he was in fact a Veteran, transfer could not take place. I point out, for your information, that his Veterans Affairs file number was WSM 8465. I then arranged for proof of this to be faxed to the Veterans Affairs Department at approximately 1000hrs 10th April 2000. Ken was finally admitted to the Hollywood Clinic some eighteen hours after the start of what I considered a life threatening emergency.

The reason I write this letter Mr Edwards, is that Ken Freeman, an ex member of the Special Air Service Regiment died on the 12th April 2000, two days after being admitted to the clinic. I feel that an argument could be mounted that the bureaucratic lunacy that surrounded Ken, and given his fragile condition even I, a non-medical professional, could see he was in, could have contributed to his eventual death two days later.

What I ask Mr Edwards, is that Ken's death not go unnoticed and that other Veterans do not have to continue to endure these continual bureaucratic bunglings that ruin lives; you help to address this would be appreciated.