The family of a disabled woman who died in a care home have lost a bid for the circumstances of her death to be more fully explored following a Supreme Court ruling.
According to the Supreme Court judgement, the care worker, Susan Egan, was told the GP would consider the request and she called again then afternoon before instead calling 111. During this conversation, she explained symptoms of Jackie vomiting a coffee-like substance and stomach pains but answered 'no' when asked if the patient had any physical or sensory disabilities. As a result, the call handler referred her back to the GP.
The next morning her condition had worsened and Jackie was this time admitted to hospital by ambulance. Tests showed her to be severely dehydrated with kidney failure and metabolic acidosis. Later in the evening, she suffered a cardiac arrest and died. In his ruling, Lord Sales, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, noted: "Amongst their many concerns about Jackie’s treatment, her family also have concerns about the care provided to her at the hospital.