A mother is calling for an inquiry into failings at a major Queensland hospital after her autistic son starved to death while under his doctor’s care.
Stewart Kelly, 45, died at Robina Hospital in August last year from starvation and dehydration during a 33-day admission.
His devastated mother, Ann Jeffery, spent her son’s entire life as his primary caregiver, making sure he could live a happy and fulfilling life.
“How can someone starve to death in a hospital?” Kelly Ann Jeffery’s mother told “A Current Affair.”
“He was allowed to reach critical condition in the hospital system. How can it be like that?”
Stewart Kelly, 45, died at Robina Hospital in August last year from starvation and dehydration during a 33-day admission. ACA/Nine News
Kelly was not seriously ill when she was admitted to hospital in May last year, but required mental health treatment after suffering from anxiety which caused her to lose around 30lbs.
During his first visit to Robina Hospital, he was admitted for eight days before being discharged after showing little improvement.
However, Kelly’s struggles continued over the next few months, and he was admitted for a second time in July after losing another 62 pounds.
Kelly was not critically ill when she was admitted to hospital in May last year but required mental health treatment after experiencing anxiety. ACA/Nine News
With his increasing weight loss and difficulty eating, Kelly’s family had expected him to be given mental health treatment and given fluids.
Unfortunately, neither of these things happened and over the next few weeks, Kelly’s condition worsened until she eventually starved to death.
“He finally became unbearable,” said Mrs. Jeffery.
“We found him several times in a wet bed.”
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When the hospital finally decided to give her son a feeding tube, it was too late, and Kelly died of starvation after 21 days in intensive care.
“He was cheated out of another 40 years of his life,” his mother said.
“I feel that joy has disappeared from my life. I feel he was left to die probably because of his disability.”
On Kelly’s death certificate, autism was listed as the cause, along with multiple organ dysfunction, starvation and dehydration.
Following Kelly’s tragic death, a Gold Coast Health spokesperson told news.com.au that her death was “preventable” and agreed that there had been a “significant failure” in her treatment.
Gold Coast Health has endorsed the quality of Robina Hospital’s service, declaring it “exceeds equivalent hospitals across the country.”
“Over the past three years, Robina’s Hospital Standardized Mortality Rate (HSMR) has averaged 99.6 compared to a peer group average of 113.6 (lower than better results from peer hospitals),” the spokesperson told news.com.au.
The Hospital Standardized Mortality Rate (HSMR) for Robina Hospital for 2023 (up to and including August, which is the latest period for which comparative figures are available) is 79.9, compared to a peer group average of 100.
“This means that fewer deaths have been recorded at Robina Hospital than expected (and fewer than have been recorded at peer group hospitals).”
Heartbroken, Kelly’s mother, Ann Jeffery, has called for a coroner’s inquest into what happened to her son. ACA/Nine News
The spokesman offered an “unreserved apology” for Kelly’s death.
“Open disclosure discussions have been held with his family, and we have offered an unconditional apology for his death,” they said.
“His family has gone through the full Root Cause Analysis (RCA) report and provided a summary of it, including key findings and all recommendations (in a ‘Closing the Loop’ document).
“Open disclosure discussions have been held with his family, and we have offered an unconditional apology for his death,” a hospital spokesman said. ACA/Nine News
“The causes of our failure are complex, and we have made significant changes in practice following Kelly’s death.”
The hospital has reportedly identified 11 failings that directly contributed to Kelly’s death, but so far, no individuals have been referred to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority, which is the authority responsible for regulating the conduct of medical staff.
“I want to know what has been implemented now 15 months later, after I buried my son, what have they actually done?” he said.
Heartbreakingly, while Mrs Jeffery has called for a coroner’s inquest into what happened to her son, it is not yet known whether it will happen.
“I want to know what happened to him before I die,” added the heartbroken pensioner.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
