WA Man Dies After Not Getting Needed Medicine

Topic: Mental Health

Wednesday, 22 July 2026, at 7:56 am

Bradley Buswell died in March 2025.

In short:

A coronial inquest is looking into the death of Bradley Buswell, a man with schizophrenia who died in state care after being taken off his regular medicine due to a nationwide shortage.

Mr Buswell's family says his death raises concerns about his treatment in the mental health system.

The coroner will give their findings by September.

The family of a man with schizophrenia says his death in state care raises significant concerns about his treatment in Western Australia's mental health system.

Warning: This article talks about mental health.

A coronial inquest heard that Bradley Buswell was taken off his regular antipsychotic medicine eight months before his death due to a nationwide shortage.

Mr Buswell, 42, died suddenly in March 2025 while on a psychiatric community treatment order.

He was found with a very high amount of his replacement medicine in his system.

The family says the fact that he could get and take so much medicine without his caregivers knowing raises significant concerns.

If you or someone you know needs help:

The WA Country Health Service says they are sorry for the family's loss but believes there were no problems with the care provided.

The health service says mental health challenges are complex and can change quickly.

Mr Buswell's family remembers him for his kind nature, love for family and friends, and his love for the outdoors.

The coroner will give their findings by September.

Treatment-resistant mental illness

In 2021, Mr Buswell started calling his friends and family to say goodbye and sell his things.

He believed he was going to die from a serious illness.

When his family found out he had schizophrenia, it explained his years of sleepless nights and worries about his health.

His friends and family got worried, and he was admitted to a psychiatric ward under the Mental Health Act.

Bradley Buswell struggled with his condition when he was in the hospital.

The ward was often chaotic and had many patients in distress.

Mr Buswell's health got worse on the ward, and he was released on a community treatment order.

The order required him to live with his grandmother and follow his treatment plan.

His doctor started him on a monthly antipsychotic injection.

The doctor chose the injection because he was not sure if Mr Buswell would take his oral medicine.

Despite his schizophrenia being hard to treat, the injection was working well.

Nationwide shortages

In 2024, the antipsychotic injection became unavailable in Australia.

The medicine was no longer being made by the manufacturer.

Mr Buswell was given oral medicine instead, but his mental health suffered.

He was then prescribed a different antipsychotic injection, but it was not as effective.

The doctor said the new injection was to ensure Mr Buswell was taking something.

Mr Buswell was not always taking his oral medicine, and he admitted this to his doctors.

The doctor said the oral medicine only works if you swallow it.

At his last review, Mr Buswell said he was not taking his medicine.

Days later, he was found dead with a very high amount of medicine in his system.

The hospital is being redeveloped to include more mental health beds.

Family's significant concerns

Mr Buswell's family says they were not told about the change in his medicine.

They say if they had known, they could have helped him take his medicine safely and maybe prevented his death.

The family believes the system failed Mr Buswell, not one person, and thanks his doctors for their care.

Those closest to Mr Buswell think his death was an accident.

See more ABC news

If you need to talk to someone, call: