By ALISON BROWN in Rotorua
The mother of a woman treated for schizophrenia is demanding answers from Rotorua's mental health services after her daughter died tragically at Kuirau Park.
Charmaine Erina Butler was a patient at Rotorua Hospital's mental health unit, Whare Whakaue, when she climbed over two
fences surrounding a boiling mud pool at Kuirau Park and jumped in just over a week ago.
The 29-year-old's body was recovered by emergency services an hour-and-a-half later. The death has been referred by police to the Rotorua coroner, and the Lakes District Health Board is conducting its own review into her care.
Her mother, Julie Butler, is holding the health board and community mental health services accountable for her daughter's death and wants to know how she was able to leave the unit without being seen by staff.
Ms Butler, a former nurse at Rotorua Hospital, said she was speaking out in the hope it would lead to better care and treatment for mentally ill patients. "Charmaine was in the hospital's care," she said. "A few patients have slipped through the system but because it's the hospital, they think they can get away with it."
Charmaine was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 18 after growing up in Rotorua with her five brothers and one sister on Clayton Rd.
She attended Aorangi Primary School, Kaitao Middle School and Rotorua Boys' High School's Awhina programme.
Ms Butler said her daughter was "hard to handle" at times, had "typical teenage experiences" but displayed no symptoms of schizophrenia until she had a baby at 18.
Charmaine's sister-in-law, Adele Butler, said Charmaine started struggling with life after the baby was adopted within the whanau. "It was her baby, her love. It was too much for her to cope with."
Charmaine, who heard voices, was given medication and was regularly visited by community mental health workers.
Her family said she did not always take her medication for fear of its side-effects. "She knew when she wasn't well and she'd shut herself in her flat and just deal with it herself," said Adele.
When she was well, Charmaine was a "sweet, beautiful person", she said.
She was referred to Whare Whakaue by community mental health services several times over an 11-year period.
About three months ago, she was sexually assaulted at her Wrigley St flat and moved in with her mother. Police charged a man in his 30s with the assault.
She was referred to Whare Whakaue on September 15 and ordered to stay as an inpatient for two weeks. She died 10 days later and was buried at Waiotahi, near Opotiki, on Monday.
Ms Butler visited her daughter two days before she died.
"She wanted to come home but she was a danger to herself and everybody else."
Adele said her sister-in-law had talked previously about harming herself. "She was just sick of being sick."
The family said they were grateful to the Rotorua businessman who rang police after he saw Charmaine jump as he was driving past the park.
The district health board's communications officer, Sue Wilkie, said the review into Charmaine's care would be finished next week. She declined to comment further.
Meanwhile, staff and students at Te Aratu Training Centre, a specialist training establishment for people recovering from mental illness, are mourning Charmaine's death.
"It's a small community and some students knew Charmaine," said manager Joss Kiernan. "We've had lots of little counselling sessions with them."
By ALISON BROWN in Rotorua
The mother of a woman treated for schizophrenia is demanding answers from Rotorua's mental health services after her daughter died tragically at Kuirau Park.
Charmaine Erina Butler was a patient at Rotorua Hospital's mental health unit, Whare Whakaue, when she climbed over two
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