Family claim mother, 85, died in hospital after nurses refused to give her water – so she wouldn’t wet the bed
Edna Thompson was unable to fend for herself in the last days of her life with her family now demanding answers into the hospital care given to the pensioner
A FAMILY who say they watched their mother die of thirst in hospital have now been left in limbo waiting for an inquest into the pensioner’s tragic death.
Edna Thompson was admitted to the Maidstone Hospital in Kent for an eye condition in September last year but died eight days later with the hospital apologising for the tragedy.
But the family has been left in the dark over whether an inquest will be held into the 85-year-old’s death, saying they will not have closure until they know what truly happened.
Mrs Thompson’s daughter, Sue Ealding, said: “I am disgusted the coroner’s office have left myself and my brother and sister in limbo with no notification as to what is happening with my mother’s investigation.
“This is not good for any of the family who need some closure and this will not happen until the final death certificate is issued.
“We just want to know what is happening.”
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Ms Thompson was admitted to the hospital with a suspected malignant glaucoma last September but her health quickly deteriorated, leaving her unable to eat or drink unassisted.
It has been alleged a nurse refused nurse to give the grandmother a drink of water while she was at the hospital because they were afraid she’d wet her bed.
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust’s own investigation found a catalogue of errors in failing to prevent and act on the mother-of-three’s dehydration, including that she was given drugs known to cause thirst longer than she should have been.
The hospital has previously apologised to the family, saying: “We are very sorry that Mrs Thompson did not receive the high standards of care we would expect at our hospital and we offer our deepest condolences to her family and friends.
“Whilst nothing we can say or do can change the outcome, we have thoroughly investigated the care and treatment she received. As a result, we have implemented a number of improvements to our systems and processes to improve patient care."
The hospital told The Sun they had improved the channels of communication between the medical and pharmacy departments, saying they had also “introduced a medicine handover sheet to ensure complex patients are appropriately monitored by pharmacists.”
A new medication safety pharmacist has also been employed to review and monitor the patients’ medication while nursing staff have been reminded of the importance of supporting patients with their nutritional needs.
A Coroner's Court spokesman said the case was still being investigated and an inquest had not formally been opened.