Please sign the Petition to help save Karen Gordon's Life

[Countrygirl]

Please sign the petition to help save Karen's life.​

Save Karen Gordon from Dying of Malnutrition and Dehydration due to NHS Failings.​

https://www.change.org/.../save-karen-gordon-from-dying...

This is an extract of the much longer petition.
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No patient should have to die because due to their illness, they cannot follow the usual practice of their NHS Trust. The Trust should find a way for a patient to be given what they need in a way that is suitable for them.

Karen says the Trust have dumped her and do not care about her treatment at home or in hospital and that they think her life is not worth anything.

The Trust and senior nursing management have shown cold uncaring attitudes, a lack of respect and compassion and disbelief of Karen’s ME illness, its symptoms and how it affects her. Their attitudes and actions have caused Karen intense emotional and physical stress and suffering and make her feel scared about going back to hospital.

Karen's most recent hospital admission was the 17th of July to the 4th of August 2023. Karen was admitted to Conquest Hospital Hastings because her PEG-J feeding tube was blocked. The hospital management were insisting that Heather leave Karen from within minutes after Karen was admitted. This caused Karen huge stress, distress, fear and anguish as Karen knew she would not be able to cope physically or emotionally without Heather. It took 17 hours until after 10pm a site manager said Heather could stay with Karen for that night. There was no reassurance that Heather would be able to stay for the whole of the admission. Karen was in a 6-bedded bay throughout her hospital stay. Being in a bay increased Karen’s ME symptoms. Her nausea got worse and she started vomiting repeatedly. She had more severe pain. Her exhaustion became worse. During the admission Karen was not given TPN. After the PEG-J tube was unblocked, Karen was not able to reintroduce any PEG-J feed during the admission as being in a bay was making her so much more unwell. Karen had no feed of any kind, for 23½ consecutive days – 1½ days before admission, 18 days in hospital and 4 days at home after discharge.

Two tests in the last month have shown that Karen is dehydrated. But she has not even been given a few days of I/V fluid at home to help her during this time by the Urgent Community Response / Virtual Ward teams.

We call on the CEO and Directors of East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and the management of Conquest Hospital Hastings and Eastbourne District General Hospital:
1) To make arrangements that are suitable for Karen – including 3 and 4 below – to start TPN and I/V fluid without delay. We expect this would initially be at Conquest Hospital and then for them to continue at home.
2) To make special arrangements that are suitable for Karen to facilitate Karen to have home TPN and I/V fluid without Karen having to go to St Mark’s Hospital and without all of the usual assessment processes, as she is unable to do them because of the very severe ME.
3) To accept that Karen needs her mother, Heather, her full- time carer and advocate, to be with her 24/7 while she is in hospital giving her one-to-one care and support throughout each admission.
4) To give Karen a side-room for the duration of each admission because of her very severe ME.
5) To treat Karen with compassion and respect.
Please sign this petition to try to save Karen Gordon’s life by getting her TPN and I/V fluid soon, get them continued at home and to get her the conditions she needs when in hospital

 

[sunshine44]

Incredibly devastating.

How is that even possible they allowed a human to go 18 days without any kind of sustenance.

I mean….

Words defy me at this point.
In no scenario can I comprehend.

May the world wake up and quickly for our sakes 😩🙏

 

[linusbert]

whats wrong with these people, Hippocratic Oath any meaning?
if she would have robbed a bank and be in prison, they would force fed her. but these doctors cannot do it.

 

[BrightCandle]

The NHS remains an utter disgrace. Until there are real consequences for the monsters who do this to patients nothing will change. We need a healthcare system where abuse of patients is an offence that gets you struck off. Its not a big thing to ask its obviously something that should be in place and yet the DHSC has rejected any attempts to ensure the NICE guidelines are adhered too. Just more consultations and dithering and delay on kind words, no concrete actions while we are murdered.

It remains extremely dangerous to try and use healthcare as an ME patient in the UK, the chance of harm is far higher than medical help. No one cares about the widespread breach of the guidelines they are required to follow or the breaches of the NHS charter of care or the duty of care to their patients.

 

[lenora]

@Countrygirl......Hello. We've heard this story so many times. Is there are any chance of combining them (as per the girl in Devon) and making them into a national news story. This is going on far too often for anyone's good.

You must be getting tired of working the same old beat, yourself, Countrygirl. This must be at least the 4th time this has occurred since I've been a member.

Thanks for all you do......I wish that you had more help, or do you prefer to work alone? Yours, Lenora

 

[Countrygirl]

@Countrygirl......Hello. We've heard this story so many times. Is there are any chance of combining them (as per the girl in Devon) and making them into a national news story. This is going on far too often for anyone's good.

You must be getting tired of working the same old beat, yourself, Countrygirl. This must be at least the 4th time this has occurred since I've been a member.

Thanks for all you do......I wish that you had more help, or do you prefer to work alone? Yours, Lenora

Hello Lenora,

I wish it were only four times...............it is far more than that ..........I have lost count over the years and so many have died.....usually unnecessarily.

It has been in the papers. Sean O'Neil, Maeve's father, wrote about his daughter's death in The TImes recently. Another young woman who passed away fairly recently died again because the hospital viewed ME as a psychiatric condition and she also would have survived if they had given her a feeding tube. However, the psychiatrists are claiming she just refused to eat so that will likely be recorded as her cause of death and not ME.

There are a number of other Karens that we are aware of right now, although her life is probably most at risk at this time. The hospitals refuse to accept that ME is a biomedical illness and, consequently, refuse to treat it appropriately to save lives.

There is also a pattern emerging. Individual doctors can be sympathetic but the hospital executive, who never sees the patient, steps in and refuses or withdraws treatment.

Our main problem is that the hospitals' actions are supported by the GMC and the medical Royal Colleges all of which cling to the old dogma peddled by the BPS cabal. Until there is mandatory medical education this situation will continue.

If another patient dies unnecessarily, and they remain in the hospital until their death, it is feasible that a charge of gross medical manslaughter could be made which could result in a prison sentence that would help concentrate medical minds. However, in the doctor's defence, their other colleagues would be asked if they would have taken another course of action, and as the majority have the same mistaken view of ME, they would probably support the actions of the doctor/Hospital Trust who/which was responsible for the death.

We are still waiting for Maeve Boothby-O'Neil's inquest as it is being repeatedly delayed. The result of that should be very interesting.

 

[BrightCandle]

Until there is mandatory medical education this situation will continue.

Given the Royal Collegues wrote and signed a public open letter stating they would ignore the guidance this is not a training issue. This is very much an intentional act and training is not going to fix it. We need legal and career consequences for these murderers. This is why the DHSC consultantion on its plan is so inept, it ignores the fundamental reality of the situation that this isn't a gap in knowledge, its a choice and it ought to be a career and life ending choice not something the GMC can just choose to continue.

 

[lenora]

I know British law is different, and ours can vary from state to state, but it seems that a case can be brought against these hospitals, especially when there is no natural occurrence and it's merely a matter of bending the rules somewhat. Too bad that it hasn't been tried, especially for younger people. Yours, Lenora

 

[linusbert]

However, the psychiatrists are claiming she just refused to eat so that will likely be recorded as her cause of death and not ME.

i dont understand this, wouldnt they force feed patients with psychiatric issues if they refuse to eat?

i agree with the murder notion. those bastards should be locked up and at least get a life long ban in treating humans.

 

[sunshine44]

Given the Royal Collegues wrote and signed a public open letter stating they would ignore the guidance this is not a training issue. This is very much an intentional act and training is not going to fix it. We need legal and career consequences for these murderers. This is why the DHSC consultantion on its plan is so inept, it ignores the fundamental reality of the situation that this isn't a gap in knowledge, its a choice and it ought to be a career and life ending choice not something the GMC can just choose to continue.

I absolutely concur. It’s does bring me relief more and more of us are seeing this and not making excuses anymore for these systems.

Where to begin, when the corruption is dense in the top layers. Sigh. It’s a very bad situation I wish humanity was not in right now.

 

[Countrygirl]

i dont understand this, wouldnt they force feed patients with psychiatric issues if they refuse to eat?

i agree with the murder notion. those bastards should be locked up and at least get a life long ban in treating humans.

The patient is discharged so they die at home and not in the hospital.

The hospital can then claim she chose not to eat at home which is what they are doing.

 

[linusbert]

The patient is discharged so they die at home and not in the hospital.

The hospital can then claim she chose not to eat at home which is what they are doing.

yes but if they know the patient won't eat, and they suspect its psychatric, they would forcible admit her to a mental asylum (and force fed her there) because there would be clear danger to yourself if you deny food.
in germany they would do this.

so discharging the supposed mental ill patient at home is mistake and not treating the not mental ill patient in hospital is also.
in germany if a suicidal patient gets released from hospital and suicides at home the hospital would be blamed and their would be investigations (at least on paper, germany is also plagued by corruption so in the end its only a bit stress to do the paperwork).

so this behaviour by the clinic can only be explained by utter stupidity and incompetence or by corruption or even evilness.

in germany suicide is a "crime", its forbidden by law. if they did know she would do suicide herself at home and did nothing maybe we could even discuss accomplicing in a planned crime (or something, no lawyer here)

 

[Countrygirl]

yes but if they know the patient won't eat, and they suspect its psychatric, they would forcible admit her to a mental asylum (and force fed her there) because there would be clear danger to yourself if you deny food.
in germany they would do this.

so discharging the supposed mental ill patient at home is mistake and not treating the not mental ill patient in hospital is also.
in germany if a suicidal patient gets released from hospital and suicides at home the hospital would be blamed and their would be investigations (at least on paper, germany is also plagued by corruption so in the end its only a bit stress to do the paperwork).

so this behaviour by the clinic can only be explained by utter stupidity and incompetence or by corruption or even evilness.

in germany suicide is a "crime", its forbidden by law. if they did know she would do suicide herself at home and did nothing maybe we could even discuss accomplicing in a planned crime (or something, no lawyer here)

You are absolutely right, @linusbert ...it is irrational. It doesn't seem to trouble them though and we have no recourse to the usual protections that are in place for other patient groups. ME patients are effectively disenfranchised and our appeals concerning abuse and harm are discounted and ignored.

However, I have also known them to tell a patient: If you won't eat, we will section you. The consequences of that for someone with ME are dire and intolerable. I have known a few who have quietly died at home of starvation because of the threat and others have taken their own life.

And that reminds me....a young woman with severe ME is being euthanised tomorrow morning. Heartbreaking!

 

[lenora]

Poor @Countrygirl.....it sounds like we're gaining up on YOU, the very person trying to help those in this situation and I can assure you that this is not the case at all. I guess that it's just hard to believe and no, just because it's so/so in our home country doesn't make it so in the UK.

I give you a lot of credit for going through this with the families, as I give the O'Neill family credit for not giving up. If the front page of The Times doesn't make a difference, I don't know what's wrong with the sleeping public. This could be their turn at any given time. Sad. A big (hug) for you. Yours, Lenora

 

[Countrygirl]

Please do keep signing and sharing as we must aim for 10 000 signatures in order to interest the press.

 

[sunshine44]

Please do keep signing and sharing as we must aim for 10 000 signatures in order to interest the press.

I shared on my social media accounts. It deeply frustrates me she didn’t receive 5000 signatures in 20 minutes let alone days. Will do my best to keep drawing attention to her story 🙏

 

[Countrygirl]

I shared on my social media accounts. It deeply frustrates me she didn’t receive 5000 signatures in 20 minutes let alone days. Will do my best to keep drawing attention to her story 🙏

Thank you @sunshine44 !

We had more than 10 000 sign for Alice, I recall, and the BBC and the papers used the impressive number to support their articles. It did save Alice's life, although she is very severely ill after she was starved for so long by the Devon County Hospital. Having BBC cameras jabbed in their faces as they emerged from the building did concentrate their minds and shamed them into giving way and feeding Alice. It was extraordinary as they were already under investigation for being responsible for the death of Maeve the year before.

 

[Countrygirl]

Bump

We must get 10 000 signatures.
We now have just under 4000.

 

[lenora]

I signed the petition. Yours, Lenora

 

[linusbert]

i did too