A thread -
In 2018 @mencap_charity introduced me to Pat & Ken Booth
I was trying to find parents of people with a learning disability who’d died prematurely
They told me about their Little Miss Sunshine and my goodness... their pain
@BBCBreakfast

They told me how their girl had gone to hospital in Sheffield for a routine eye operation & died
They told me she never ate while she was there
They told me they knew she was dying but no one listened
And then I received a letter...
@BBCBreakfast

The letter was from Laura’s old physician @Samhja
He made sure his last patient on the day he retired was Laura
He was so fond of her and she adored him
A year later he visited her in hospital & knew things were v v wrong
@BBCBreakfast

Laura got infection & died after not eating for 28 days
Her parents had begged them to fit a feeding tube
Sam’s letter said he feared she’d starved
We showed that letter to the coroner & 16 months after Laura’s death he ordered an inquest
@BBCBreakfast

Instead of the original finding of “natural causes” this week the coroner ruled Laura died after a “gross failure of care”
Malnutrition and neglect contributed to her death
Laura’s death - one of far to many LD deaths which occur without scrutiny...

Until now
Heart goes out to Pat & Ken who are wonderful, kind, gentle people
Laura really was their world & they cared for her 24/7 for all of her 21 years
Lord they miss her
If you missed earlier @BBCBreakfast on again 0810 x