A report has found that the hospital where Lizzie McGuire star Robert Carradine died failed to follow safety protocols. The actor, who played Lizzie's dad in the hit Disney Channel series, died in February at the age of 71.
Report Details Safety Breaches
A new report from the Department of Health and Human Services recorded that UCLA's Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital had breached safety protocols. The report said that the hospital had "failed to provide a safe environment for care".
Another part of the report said that there were "two contraband items" in the room, which he used in his suicide attempt. The facility's director of quality management said in April that "the nurse failed to confiscate (take or seize with authority) the contraband of a belt, cellphone, and wallet" when Robert was admitted to the hospital on January 16.
Lawsuit Alleges Neglect
A lawsuit had been filed by his children against the Regents of the University of California following his death. Court documents say that Robert voluntarily admitted himself to the hospital twice in one month. Initially, he was discharged on January 9 after a week in the facility before returning on January 16.
The documents said that Robert was "relieved to be hospitalised" and hoped the "additional inpatient treatment would reduce his anxiety". They continued: "But Robert's hopes for successful treatment didn't match the reality he had stepped into,' the document claims. 'Instead of walking into a safe environment, he walked into a locked facility that broke a cardinal rule for a hospitalized psychiatric patient with active suicidal thoughts and a history of suicide attempts."
"None of this happened because UCLA lacked the knowledge, the policies or the means. It happened because UCLA took shortcuts with two safeguards that were meant to protect Robert's life."
Family Tribute and Mental Health Battle
The lawsuit, filed by Carradine's children, had also alleged that "no one watched him or checked on him for long periods of time despite orders to watch him every 15 minutes". They claimed: "The staff member assigned to watch Robert sat in a chair in the hallway and entered observations into an iPad without ever looking at him."
"The iPad carried forward whatever information had last been entered, so that UCLA staff were allowed to click that they had checked on someone without ever looking at them. On paper, UCLA produced a perfect record, making it look like they were checking on suicidal patients every 15 minutes."
At the time of his death, his family paid tribute to him and the mental health battles he faced. In a statement, they said: "It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away. In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon of light to everyone around him."
"We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby’s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with Bipolar Disorder. We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness. At this time we ask for the privacy to grieve this unfathomable loss. With gratitude for your understanding and compassion."
Robert died on February 23 following the effects of an anoxic brain injury caused by a suicide attempt whilst being treated at the hospital.
