Client stories
Every Rachel’s Voice client has died as a result of care failings which would not have occurred but for their learning disability.
The families we support often encounter similar experiences;
Their loved one experienced poor quality healthcare in an acute hospital setting
Staff did not sufficiently accommodate learning disability needs
The family were not involved in healthcare decisions
We are using the experiences of our clients to inform our work to end systemic inequalities in healthcare for people with a learning disability which lead to over 1,000 preventable deaths each year.
Rachel, who had significant physical and learning disabilities, was 49 when she died in hospital following dental surgery which saw all of her teeth removed. The inquest into her death found multiple failings from numerous care agencies.
Lynn was 64 when she was dropped by her home carers while being hoisted. Carers did not attend hospital with her, and it took two visits to the emergency department before all her injuries were identified. She died in hospital as a result of her injuries.
Chloe had myotonic dystrophy and was 27 when she was diagnosed with cancer. Staff did not consider the impact of morphine for patients with her condition. She was inadequately monitored and suffered an unsurvivable cardiac arrest in hospital.
Other clients
A client of ours was autistic, had epilepsy, and a learning disability. He died aged 18 as a result of being given anti-psychotic drugs to treat a seizure. An independent review found failings both in the healthcare treatment he received and the NHS’s review into his care after his death.
Another client with a learning disability was 82 when she died as a result of neglect and dehydration. She was prematurely and inappropriately discharged from hospital to a care home. The Local Authority admitted neglect at the care home, and advice to the family is ongoing. We are currently investigating avenues to apply to overturn the coroner’s decision not to hold an inquest as the initial referral failed to account for nutritional and safeguarding failures.
One of our clients was in her 30’s when she fell from her bed as a result of an unsupervised seizure. Carers used inappropriate handling methods and paramedics did not use a fracture board. This resulted in paraplegia, and she died of her injuries 4 months later. This case is going to Inquest in November 2023.