THE father of a 26-year-old autistic man who died suddenly after an epileptic seizure has called for more specialist first aid training in supported living accommodation.
Eoin Diamond died in the Royal Victoria Hospital on April 24 2017, following a seizure in a facility on the Glen Road in west Belfast.
At a preliminary inquest hearing at the city's coroner's court yesterday, Danny Diamond praised the care provided at the premises, where his non-verbal son was a resident for seven years and which is run by the charity Autism Initiatives.
But he also asked about the extent of dedicated training for staff in such accommodation dealing with patients who become ill.
He described his son as a "funny and brilliant" young man who loved snooker and was doing "so well" prior to his death. The frequency of his seizures had reduced to once a week.
"When I did my first aid training to look after my son it was certified. I would be interested to know what type of training staff in supported living get in terms of epilepsy and first aid," Mr Diamond said.
"I'm not saying it could have saved Eoin but it's good to know what is there so lessons could be learned if similar cases come up in the future."
Coroner Joe McCrisken said he had dealt with a similar inquest in the past 18 months and agreed that the issue of staff training in emergency situations was an important one.
A date for a full inquest is to be confirmed.
