Health bosses have admitted concerns about the sudden deaths of two young people who had been relying on NHS Tayside mental health services.
Celine Dinis, 22, died following an incident on the Moredun Ward at the Royal Murray Hospital in Perth on January 4.
On Friday, 17-year-old Dylan Kinsella took his life after receiving treatment at Carseview in Dundee.
The two tragedies were raised at a meeting of the Integrational Joint Board (IJB) in Perth by Conservative councillor Callum Purves.
He said he was particularly worried about the death of Perth College student Miss Dinis, who was originally from St Andrews in Fife.
She died less than a year after NHS Tayside admitted guilt in the deaths of three other women on Moredun Ward.
Earlier this week, Dylan’s dad Paul Kinsella, said he was angry with NHS Tayside after his son faced long delays in trying to get the help he needed.
Mr Purves asked IJB chief officer Gordon Paterson what was being done prevent such tragedies.
He said: “Can you give assurances on what is being done to address any of the learning from those sad events that have happened and to make sure that such deaths don’t happen again?
“One was in Carseview, reported in the Evening Telegraph, following a discharge.
“One was on the Moredun Ward after an incident where a woman sadly died at Murray Royal Hospital.
“Obviously that is of particular concern given in that ward we had previous incidents where NHS Tayside had admitted guilt over the death of three women.”
Mr Paterson said he was aware of concern within the health board over the two recent incidents.
Hilltown Dad advocating for better mental health support after 17-year-old son commits suicide
“These are particular tragedies and we have to be concerned about the circumstances and ensure we pass on our condolences to the family members that are affected,” said Mr Paterson.
“My understanding is that the colleagues who are responsible for the oversight and delivery of those services are actively looking through the process, the local adverse review process, as to what the circumstances were, what contributed, what lessons can be learned.
“There is a real concern within the NHS around what can we do to ensure that we create an environment where these situations are greatly reduced and hopefully eradicated … albeit there are sometimes sadly circumstances where no matter what people try to do people will sadly complete suicide.”
The health officer said he didn’t want to speak on the specifics of either tragedy, adding: “I would like to just comment on the generality of these cases because there might be ongoing police investigations given the circumstances.”
The Procurator Fiscal confirmed on Wednesday that the death on the Moredun Ward was still under investigation.