Coroner's Finding: Hughes, Joan May
Deceased
Joan May Hughes
Demographics
85y, female
Date of death
2014-06-16
Finding date
2019-06-28
Cause of death
aspiration of gastric contents following vomiting
AI-generated summary
Joan May Hughes, age 85, died on 16 June 2014 from aspiration of gastric contents following vomiting. She was admitted to the Roy Fagan Centre with psychotic depression and was under a Mental Health Act treatment order. During the week before death, she developed gastrointestinal symptoms including pain and vomiting. GP Assist telephone advice was obtained on 15 June; staff were instructed to monitor vital signs and provide clear fluids. Early on 16 June, she vomited blood-like material and was transferred to hospital but was unrevivable. The coroner found no evidence of failures in medication monitoring, delayed investigation of symptoms, or inappropriate use of GP Assist. Staff care was of acceptable standard. The underlying cause of gastrointestinal bleeding could not be identified at autopsy.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- gastrointestinal bleeding of unknown source
- vomiting
- aspiration
- inability to perform physical examination via telephone advice service
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