Still no answer on how pensioner died of thirst in hospital
A family continues to search for answers nine months after a grandmother essentially died of thirst at Maidstone Hospital.
But despite health chiefs making a grovelling apology, relatives of Harrietsham pensioner Edna Thompson say they will not have closure until an inquest is held into the sequence of events leading up to the 85-year-old’s death last year.
They have also complained of a lack of communication regarding the status of the ongoing investigation.
Mrs Thompson’s daughter, Sue Ealding, said: “I am disgusted the coroner’s office have left myself and my brother and sister in limbo with no notification as to what is happening with my mother’s investigation.
“This is not good for any of the family who need some closure and this will not happen until the final death certificate is issued.
“We just want to know what is happening.”
Mrs Thompson was admitted to Maidstone Hospital’s Mercer Ward with suspected malignant glaucoma in September last year.
Despite family repeatedly raising concerns about the former librarian becoming dehydrated, she went into renal failure and died eight days later.
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust’s own investigation found a catalogue of errors in failing to prevent and act on the mother-of-three’s dehydration, including that she was given drugs known to cause thirst longer than she should have been.
Trust chief executive Glenn Douglas apologised unreservedly to the family.
‘I am disgusted the coroner’s office have left myself and my family in limbo’
On the weekend before her death, relatives raised concerns about her dehydration as she was unable to eat or drink unassisted – with one agency nurse allegedly denying fluids in case she wet the bed.
Inquests are legal proceeds to established the circumstances surrounding a death.
They are not held to apportion blame, but coroners can make recommendations if they feel there are lessons to be learned to prevent future deaths.
A coroner’s court officer said the investigation continues and was unable to give a hearing date.