Grandmother claims she was 'intimidated' by senior medics in daughter's right-to-die case

Jean Simpson, from Barrow, battled for four years to secure a court ruling so that Jodie could be allowed to die with dignity after an accidental overdose in 2012 left the-then 38-year-old in a permanent vegetative state.

Jean, 70, has now described how the pain of watching the mum-of-two live in torment against her own wishes was worsened by the actions of hospital officials who deliberately reinserted Jodie's feeding tube to prolong her life - while a legal case to have it permanently removed was ongoing.

Mrs Simpson, a former Barrow community nurse, said: "Jodie was taken to Furness General because her PEG tube had come out.

"We told the doctors and anyone who would listen that they needed to contact the Court of Protection for an emergency ruling on whether it should be replaced.

"But they never did this. They just tried to intimidate me instead.

"The whole point of the court application was to have the tube removed. I would always have accepted the decision of the judge."

Mrs Simpson waited at the Dalton Lane hospital for several hours before being led into a room at the hospital where bosses had assembled a team of eight senior medics that included Dr Gillian O'Connor, associate medical director for the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, David Footitt, consultant neurologist, John Keating, consultant gastroenterologist and Asish Chatterjee, consultant lead for FGH's accident and emergency.

They informed Mrs Simpson they believed it was "in the best interests" of Jodie to replace the tube until "further instruction" was issued by the Court of Protection - though they did not call the courts for an emergency ruling.

Mrs Simpson added: "They also spent several hours getting those people together without telling me so I could call my son.

"I was on my own and it was intimidating walking into a room with all of those people."

"They should have contacted the court but they wouldn't do it. Jodie wasn't a person. She was a problem that needed solving as quickly as possible."

Jodie was discharged from FGH back to Abbey Meadow Nursing Home, in Barrow, just hours later while Mrs Simpson had returned home to collect some belongings.

The move has since been criticised by legal experts, as well as Professor Jenny Kitzinger, an expert in right-to-die cases and the co-director of the Coma and Disorders of Consciousness Research Centre, who claims hospital bosses had responsibility for bringing the matter before a judge.

But a spokesman for UHMBT -the organisation in charge of FGH - said an emergency care plan had been in place at the time of Jodie's admission which stated she should continue to receive nutrition, hydration and medication through the tube until a court ruling was made.

He said: "On the day Jodie was admitted as a result of her PEG tube being displaced, the medical team responsible for her treatment had no choice but to replace it as the Court of Protection had at that time not made any ruling about the withdrawal of nutrition and hydration for Jodie.

"As such, and in accordance with Jodie’s emergency health care plan in place at the time, she was admitted to hospital for PEG tube management which would allow the continuation of nutrition and hydration.

"We assembled the team treating Jodie in order to ensure Mrs Simpson had people in the room that could answer any more detailed questions she may have had.

"Jodie’s GP was also present in the meeting. We certainly never intended to cause Mrs Simpson any distress."

The spokesman added: "Our thoughts are with Jodie’s family for what they have gone through over the past few years.

"It’s important that the family get the answers to their questions and we have been liaising with them on a regular basis."

Later incorrect information about the meeting and length of Jodie's stay in hospital was submitted to the senior coroner for Cumbria, Mr David Roberts, which had to be corrected.

UHMBT's spokesman went on: "We accept there were errors in our initial report to the coroner which have since been corrected.

"Once again we recognise this was upsetting for the family and we have since apologised for the error."

Finally, after four years of suffering in a permanent vegetative state - while enduring regular, distressing seizures - Jodie's right to die application was successful.

She was moved to St Mary's Hospice, in Ulverston, where she passed away in June last year aged 42.

Mrs Simpson said: "I was with her the whole time and it was the most peaceful I'd seen her in four years.

"The staff there were wonderful, as was everyone who cared for her at Abbey Meadow.

"But I can never forgive the mistakes and inefficiency that meant Jodie suffered for so long while we were the only ones fighting for what she would have wanted."

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