Last month the inquest into the death of Matthew Copestick concluded, two years to the day that he died, on 8 January 2019. I spoke with Matthew’s mum Helen and had the pleasure of reading the eulogy from his funeral. I wanted to share a little about Matthew with you before getting into his inquest. […]
This afternoon, Senior Coroner for Worcestershire David Reid found that Rachel Johnston died as a result of complications of necessary surgery, to which neglect contributed. In the summing up of his evidence the Coroner said: Despite all the challenges which Rachel had to face she was a lively and happy woman who loved music, theatre […]
The final evidence was heard in Rachel Johnston’s inquest today. There was a discussion before we heard from the expert witness about how to handle the evidence of the Registered Manager at Pirton Grange, who’s evidence was part heard on Tuesday. She’d described Rachel as ‘a personality that brightened up any room… a joy to […]
At the third day of Rachel Johnston’s inquest we heard evidence from Gill Bennett, a registered nurse who was working at Pirton Grange, Rachel’s care home that she was discharged to following dental surgery to extract all her teeth. We also heard evidence from Dr Monica Nuvoloni, Deputy National Medical Director for Practice Plus Group, […]
We heard evidence today from an agency nurse working at Pirton Grange, on Day 2 of Rachel Johnston’s inquest. On Friday 26 October 2018 Rachel returned to her care home, Pirton Grange, following a full dental clearance (removing 19 teeth or tooth fragments). Around about the time she arrived back, approximately 8pm, registered nurse Sheeba […]
I’m not live tweeting Rachel’s inquest as I didn’t get to speak to her family in advance and don’t have their permission. I do wish to report on what happened in court as I think it’s highly likely it’s of wider relevance and interest to others. Day 1 has just finished and I’ve written over […]
A year ago right now I was lying on my Mum’s bed, holding her hand and talking to her as she spent her last living, breathing hour on this earth. Mum was at peace with the fact she was dying, and that peace was a total gift to those of us who love her. Given […]
Last month I spent three days in the Court of Appeal live-tweeting the first conjoined domestic abuse appeal #DAAppeal for twenty years. Others have written up the detail of the appeals and the calls for systemic change so I’ve focused on four brief reflections as someone who is unfamiliar with the Family Court. I’ve never […]
Until last month I’d never attended an inquest without already making contact with the bereaved person’s family, to try and get to know them a little. As Thomas Rawnsley’s inquest came to a close, I moved straight to Joanna Bailey’s inquest as it was half the way through. I have written a number of posts […]
Happy Birthday Sammy Today is Sammy’s 14th birthday but he is not here to celebrate it. I’ve been speaking with his mum, Patricia, and this morning I spoke to his sisters and promised that I would share about Sammy so more people know of him. They fear he’ll be forgotten. Sammy was born on Friday […]