An elderly dementia patient was allowed to refuse medication just days before her death, an inquest has heard. Rose Roberts, 75, refused life-saving blood thinning medication on five occasions despite her inability to make an “informed decision”.
She was rushed to Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital for emergency surgery on August 5 last year. Rose, a retired senior data entry operative from Rossendale, was suffering from chronic limb ischaemia, a condition that involves significantly reduced blood flow to the lower extremities.
As reported by Lancashire Live, the operation was a success but the 75-year-old’s condition deteriorated before she became critically unwell. A blood clot formed in her lungs and she passed away on August 14.
An inquest heard how Rose, who had been diagnosed with dementia, had been allowed to refuse medication. However, she did not have the capacity to refuse treatments and the doctors should have administered it anyway under the Mental Capacity Act, the coroner was told.
Area coroner Kate Bisset said: “Rose Roberts died on August 14, 2024, at the Royal Blackburn Hospital. Mrs Roberts was admitted to hospital on the August 5, 2024, for emergency surgery to treat chronic limb ischaemia. The operation was successful and she initially recovered well before becoming acutely unwell on the August 14, 2024.
“Investigations reveal that Mrs Roberts had not been given necessary doses of blood thinning medication because she had refused the medication, however her background history included dementia and her refusal was not an informed decision.
“There was no escalation of the missed doses to senior nurses or doctors which meant that she had missed five doses of medication when she became severely unwell due to pulmonary embolism and died.
“Mrs Roberts had also suffered a heart attack prior to her death. Mrs Roberts’ death was contributed to by the missed doses of medication.”
