Basingstoke hospital 'neglect' over diabetes patient death

Juliet Marlow, a campaigner against assisted suicide, spoke on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme in 2015

A hospital neglected a disability issues campaigner who died after staff failed to notice she was going into diabetic shock, a coroner has ruled.

Juliet Marlow, 48, died following an operation in July 2018 at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital.

Her blood sugar was not monitored and she was given insulin but no sugar, Hampshire coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp said.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it was "deeply sorry" for its mistakes.

Mrs Marlow, from Bordon, was admitted to hospital in June 2018 suffering from the effects of low sugar levels, the inquest previously heard.

She had been relying on Lucozade to maintain her blood sugar balance, unaware that the drink's glucose content had recently been lowered, the hearing was told.

On 23 July she underwent a tracheostomy in order to begin to free her from a ventilator.

Ms Rhodes-Kemp said: "With the focus on her airway, somehow active management of Juliet's diabetes fell by the wayside.

"She was given no sugar for five hours, and her blood was not measured for at least four hours."

The hospital has made "exemplary efforts" to improve its care, the coroner said

Mrs Marlow suffered a "catastrophic brain injury" as a result of the "neglect", which contributed to her death on 11 August, the coroner said.

Tony Ashton, an intensive care consultant, previously told the coroner he could not remember checking Mrs Marlow's blood readings or her insulin infusion after the operation.

He asked a nurse, Kharll Galapon, to restart feeding but he failed to do so, the hearing was told.

Police said a 25-year-old Basingstoke man had been interviewed under caution, but no charges were brought on the recommendation of the Crown Prosecution Service.

The coroner said the NHS trust had made "exemplary efforts" to improve its care.

In a statement, the trust said: "We recognise that the care we offered in this case fell short... [and] we have already taken robust measures... to prevent a repeat."

The group Not Dead Yet UK, which campaigns against assisted suicide, said Mrs Marlow had been a "lynchpin" of the organisation.