Maeve Boothby O'Neill - articles about her life, death and inquest

What a lot to cover without a break!

 

Coroner- this case, no way to say if a treatment could save M’s life

 

FDIA?

 

Coroner declines finding of Neglect Rider

 

DEATH BY NATURAL CAUSES

 

Death by Malnutrition at home, due to ME



I’m off for a rest, it should be hitting the news soon. I’ll try to do a write up of tweets tomorrow.

Points of interest in Aug/Sept after 3rd discharge Dr Roy asking for psych assessment and admission and Dr Shenton calling paramedics who couldn’t do anything for Maeve, DR Strain’s view that TPN would “keep some alive, but not living” he would now think differently.

 

Can they appeal this decision?

what a disgrace. No lessons learned, more ME patients will die.

 

Bias, prejudice and “tradition” win. The medical system won’t face the truth until it wants to.

 

“Factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA) formerly Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP) is a mental illness in which a person acts as if an individual he or she is caring for has a physical or mental illness when the person is not really sick.”

 

Absolutely insane that anyone can look at the facts of this case and come to the conclusion that nothing could have been done. What a fucking joke.

 

I listened to it all. A great deal of time was spent summarising testimony already given. I once again took extensive notes if anyone has specific questions.

She made a small number of findings relating to Dr Weir's testimony; she rejected his view over blood volume (preferring Prague on that one) but accepted his views on anaerobic threshold. She stated that she saw no signs of the psychological "dogma" amongst the RD&E witnesses; I certainly did, but then she is a lawyer and presumably unfamiliar with the subtleties of medical evasions and obfuscations. The RD&E legal strategy - and there was a strategy, I am certain - worked perfectly. There were no adverse findings against individual trust members; no finding of neglect. While regretting that she had not heard from the lead DCC witness, Julia Hill, due to "illness", she also had no complaints to make about their conduct or testimony either; my own view of the DCC witnesses was quite different.

As has already been said the verdict was death by natural causes (malnutrition resulting from ME).

Hemsley is due to appear at 10 AM on 27 September.

 

Thank you for this update - take care of yourself

 

Woman died from malnutrition due to ME, coroner finds
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news...ed-from-malnutrition-due-to-me-coroner-finds/

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co....26.woman-died-malnutrition-due-coroner-finds/

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/national/24509726.woman-died-malnutrition-due-coroner-finds/

 

Coroner hinted there will be more for the Hospital Trust in September.

I think she’s going to be concerned with systemic failings, lack of protocols and beds.

 

Nearly all of the witnesses were asked if they believed ME was a physical or psychological illness.

They all replied that they believed ME was a real illness.

Some of them then went on to say there was no known aetiology. But none of them were then presented with the next question which would have directed them back to whether they thought it was physical or psychological.

So they each managed to side step the question and nothing more was said. It seemed a glaring issue to me but the coroner was obviously satisfied with what she had been told.

In another article discussing how coroners courts work it stood out to me that the people who are essentially defending themselves are also being used as the expert witnesses. There are no attempts to use independent experts to give an alternative viewpoint.
(Dr Weir was not there as as expert but to give evidence about his involvement in the case)

 

Good report in the Standard:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/exeter-doctors-plymouth-andrew-gwynne-b1175734.html

This is how the report ends:

In her conclusions, the coroner said: “In making the findings I have, I hope that important lessons for future treatment of ME can be learned from her death.​

“No doubt with the benefit of hindsight things will be different in many respects.”​

Andrew Gwynne, minister for public health and prevention, said: “Every patient deserves to have their condition understood and treated to the highest standard, and this is a heart-wrenching example of a patient falling through the cracks.​

“Maeve and her family were forced to battle the disease alongside the healthcare system which repeatedly misunderstood and dismissed her.​

“I am committed to improving the care and support for all those affected, and we intend to publish a final delivery plan this winter which will focus on boosting research, improving attitudes and education, and bettering the lives of people with this debilitating disease.”​

 

Agreed, I can see how the “ordinary person” is in a David and Goliath situation with the institutes with legal teams.

 

Gutted. I find it hard to understand how the coroner believed what the medical and social services staff said in court when so many of their notes completely contradict that, instead suspecting psychological issues.

At the very least though, the findings may inform the public that ME can actually be fatal and is a serious illness.