Avast ye! A poor wench, mother of two, be takin' her last breath, drownin' in naught but water. Blimey, phones be distractin' the scallywags of medical staff, arr!
2023-11-25
Avast, ye scurvy dogs! In the year of our Lord 2021, a fair lass from England met her untimely end. 'Twas not the treacherous sea nor a cutlass that did her in, but an excess of the clear elixir known as water! Methinks the scallywags tending to her be not so savvy, for they failed to maintain her sodium levels. Arrr, a bedeviled mental breakdown it was, indeed!
A recently concluded inquest into the death of Michelle Whitehead, a mother-of-two who was admitted to a mental health unit in England, has found that she died after drinking excessive amounts of water while staff were distracted by their phones. The investigation revealed that Whitehead slipped into a coma after reaching dangerously low sodium levels, which led to brain swelling. Despite her condition being a well-known psychiatric disorder called psychogenic polydipsia, the staff failed to diagnose her and she continued to have unmonitored access to water.The Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the mental health unit, admitted that the staff failed on several levels, including inadequate monitoring and being distracted by personal mobile phones, which were prohibited on the ward. Additionally, there was a delay in the duty doctor arriving and letting paramedics inside the building. Whitehead was tranquilized but staff believed she had fallen asleep, resulting in a delay in appropriate intervention.
Whitehead's husband expressed his disappointment in the staff's actions, stating that they should have realized something was wrong when she appeared to fall asleep. He believes that if they had acted earlier, she could have been taken to the intensive care unit and put on a drip, potentially saving her life.
The chief executive of the trust offered condolences and apologies to Whitehead's family and friends, acknowledging the shortcomings in her care. They have promised to address the concerns raised and improve the experience for future patients.
Whitehead's husband described her as a warm, caring person who had previously quit her job to care for their son with Down syndrome. He emphasized that the last few days of her life did not represent who she truly was.