The DSA are saddened to hear of the circumstances surrounding the death of Julie Barton. Our thoughts are with all her family and friends.
The assistant coroner concluded that Julie, 54, died of sepsis, which was caused by pneumonia, but that her death had been contributed to by the neglect she received whilst in the care of Warrington Hospital. Inaccurate blood monitoring, along with incorrect antibiotics via an incorrect method, all mounted into a ‘gross failure to provide to her basic medical care, which was causative to her death’.
Yet again, poor medical and nursing care has contributed to the death of a person who has Down’s syndrome.
The LeDeR programme (who review the circumstances of the death of someone who has a learning disability) have previously concluded that sepsis is sadly one of the most common causes of avoidable deaths of adults who have a learning disability. We would urge all health professionals to acquaint themselves with their recommendation’s relating to the vigilance needed to protect people from sepsis.
Warrington Hospital has said it held a ‘comprehensive investigation’ following Julie’s death and spoke of developing a trust-wide strategy for patients with learning disabilities, as well appointing a specialist nurse.
We believe that avoidable deaths and poor health care can only be prevented through better understanding of the health needs of people who have Down’s syndrome, along with training for health professionals/carers and support staff.
The DSA continues to campaign for better health care for our community. In 2019 our Health Alert! campaign found many examples of inadequate healthcare involving people who have Down’s syndrome, and we presented this evidence to those in power.
If you, or someone you care for has experienced poor healthcare, or good healthcare that you want to shout about, please get in touch via our Helpline on 0333 1212300 (10am-4pm) Email: info@downs-syndrome.org.uk