The mother of a woman with learning disabilities who died after having all her teeth removed is suing medics.
Diana Johnston is taking legal action over the death of daughter Rachel last November.
Kidderminster Hospital, where Rachel Johnston had all her teeth removed
‘Failed to consult’ over decision to remove all 19 teeth
Johnston says medics failed to consult with her over the decision to take out all 19 of her daughter’s teeth at Kidderminster Hospital, in Worcestershire.
Rachel, 49, from Evesham in Worcestershire, fell ill with pneumonia after leaving hospital and died two weeks later.
Johnston told the BBC she gave her daughter a kiss and a cuddle and asked medics to “look after her” before the surgery.
She said had “never” given consent for medics to remove all her teeth.
“You wouldn’t do that to an animal,” she added.
Lawyer Caron Heyes from Fieldfisher is representing Johnston.
She said the law on consent states that doctors must discuss risks with patients.
Rachel, who was left brain damaged after suffering meningitis as a baby, did not have the capacity to give consent. Medics were therefore able to make the decision for her.
Expected to consider family concerns
But doctors were expected to consider family concerns and should have closely consulted Johnston on her daughter’s treatment. Rachel had been suffering severe tooth decay and the hospital gave her a general anaesthetic before the surgery.
Heyes said Johnston was “never told the risks of general anaesthetic”. Neither did the hospital ask whether her daughter had previously suffered a reaction.
An inquest will fully investigate in August.
Before Rachel’s death, doctors told her family that she had suffered brain injuries and would not survive.
A statement by the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and the Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust said they have both completed “internal serious incident reports”.
They are also taking part in a wider review led by NHS Wyre Forest Clinical Commissioning Group.
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Published: 1 April 2019
