Norman
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Norman is in his 40s. He acquired a severe traumatic brain injury from a car accident about 20 years ago.
Norman has been admitted on multiple occasions to a forensic mental health facility over the last 10 years.
‘Whilst I was an inpatient, I was sexually assaulted by a male nurse. I immediately notified a female nurse multiple times on duty that evening, however, she dismissed my complaint and police request,’ Norman told the Royal Commission.
From that point Norman repeatedly expressed fears for his safety, but said he was ‘continuously told to go back to a dorm room that offered no protection’.
‘Despite multiple staff on multiple occasions noting my complaints and withdrawn behaviours in their case notes, nothing further was ever done about it.’
Norman said that during his admissions he was put in a room where he was ‘completely isolated’. Staff would often forget he was there and offered no assistance or access to counselling services.
‘It was clear that no-one believed me … I was refused my own choice of doctor and nurse to get an independent assessment.’
Two and a half years after Norman’s first complaint, the facility finally filed the rape charges.
‘I believe they waited until relevant staff were no longer employed there to ask questions and investigate. They wouldn’t even go back to assess any of the names or dates and attempt to investigate, just stated they wouldn’t assist.’
A year later, with the assistance of an advocate, Norman made a complaint to the relevant complaints commissioner. Norman finally received a letter of acknowledgment of his accusations and that they had been handled in a negligent way. However they told Norman ‘there would be little achieved by conducting further inquiries into the complaint’.
This was because Norman no longer remembered the names of the nurses he had accused, and the staff he had complained to were no longer employed at the facility.
‘All these people failed to uphold a duty of care, despite it being a primary part of their role … If they listened to me, followed the correct policies and upheld their duty of care, instead of covering up, things would perhaps be different today.’
Norman would like to see people, especially those in relevant positions, learn to be ‘more open-minded’ towards people with disability. ‘If they would only just listen,’ he said.
‘I believe that people with a mental illness should be treated the same way as others with a disability … This does not happen and those living with mental illnesses face much more discrimination and judgement, particularly regarding accessing services and the system that are there to protect them.’
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.