We had to turn detective after we suspected NHS cover-up on son’s death
GRIEVING COUPLE REVEAL TWO
A GRIEVING mum and dad turned detective to expose what they believe is an NHS cover-up over their teenage son’s death.
Tom and Paula McGowan claim a report into the death of mildly autistic Oliver, 18, was altered.
He died after an allergic reaction to anti- psychotic drugs they say he should never have been given. The parents say they repeatedly told staff about his allergy.
But they say he was given the drugs three times. They watched in horror as Oliver – a high-achieving pupil and school prefect – deteriorated rapidly.
He suffered hallucinations, endured dozens of seizures and was, they allege, restrained aggressively by NHS staff “in attack mode”.
The couple say they applied for paperwork via the Freedom of Information Act after authorities failed to take responsibiity.
They uncovered a draft report which originally questioned why Oliver was wrongly given the drugs.
Tom said: “This looks like a coverup. The final report has been watered down because it seems no one wants to question the system.”
The Sunday Mirror has seen initial findings of an NHS probe in which one question asks: “Was the death, on balance, potentially avoidable?”
CATASTROPHIC
A box below is ticked “Yes”. But in the published version the same box is blank and key passages are changed.
Teacher Paula, 53, and Air Force squadron leader Tom, 50, now want a fresh inquest into Oliver’s death, taking in their new evidence.
Paula said: “As he lay dying, we made a promise to Oliver this would never happen to anyone else.”
Oliver, who also suffered from epilepsy and mild cerebral palsy, endured “catastrophic” brain damage after being given olanzapine while being treated for a seizure.
The drug is usually used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
His parents say they had repeatedly begged doctors not to give it to him.
At an inquest, the coroner did not blame medics. But a Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) was ordered and conducted by the local Clinical Commissioning Group.
An early draft of its report said: “It remains unclear exactly how this clinical decision was arrived at or the underpinning rationale. The family did not feel listened to, despite their efforts to have theirs and Oliver’s wishes heard and understood.”
Documents show the report was edited four times before its release. The above passages were altered and conclusions of the final version are different from the original. The final report reads: “The coroner found the death unavoidable and actions taken by the clinical team were reasonable.”
In a rare move, NHS England has stepped in to probe the investigation process. Paula said it was “astounding” how different the two reports are and she questioned why the first inquest
Picture: PETER LORIMER was not conducted with a jury. Oliver – who hoped to run the 200 metres for Britain in the Paralympics – developed health problems after suffering meningitis as a baby.
He was taken to Bristol Children’s Hospital in late 2015 following a mild epileptic seizure. His family say doctors mistook his autism
symptoms for a psychotic episode and gave him olanzapine for the first time. Paula, also mum to Adam, 26, and Heather, 23, said: “The reaction was so severe – he was biting his skin, sweating, shuffling. Oliver started hallucinating. It was horrific. We demanded it was stopped. I saw him nearly die of meningitis but what I observed that day was far worse.” Paula and Tom claim the drug ca caused Oliver, briefly, t to have 30 seizures a d day – despite the f fact he typically had j just two per month.
“His reaction to t the drug was filed in h his notes and a c consultant psychiat trist concluded there was “no clear evidence” he suffered from psychosis. But when Oliver went back to hospital in May 2016, after more seizures, he was given the antipsychotic drug haloperidol.
Heartbreakingly, he was restrained by medics while clutching his mum.
Paula said: “He had his arms around me to hug me. Staff jumped on to him and restrained him and threw him on a beanbag. We were shocked, frightened. It was a very aggressive reaction, like they were in attack mode.”
Oliver was taken to hospital one final time in October, 2016, after a seizure. Choking back tears, Paula said: “I took my son to hospital with a mild seizure and he ended up dead.
“He told me he’d only go if they didn’t give him drugs. He said ‘ They
Docs gave him drugs three times even though we kept warning about his allergy
PAULA MCGOWAN GRIEVING MOTHER OF 18-YEAR-OLD OLIVER