THE barrister representing the parents of a vulnerable 21-year-old woman who died in A&E after taking an overdose, has suggested that her deteriorating condition “was simply overlooked” by hospital staff.

Beth Shipsey suffered a seizure before going into cardiac arrest on February 15 last year at Worcestershire Royal Hospital (WRH), having taken diet drug 2,4 Dinitrophenol, known as DNP.

Barrister Michael Walsh told Worcestershire Coroner’s Court on Tuesday (January 9) that Miss Shipsey’s mum Carole said she was in a much worse condition than described by staff when moved from the resuscitation room.

Following the overdose, Miss Shipsey was taken to hospital from her home in Warndon Villages, Worcester, by ambulance to the hospital on Charles Hastings Way, arriving at around 5.20pm.

She was moved to the resuscitation room, where patients in the worst condition are taken, at around 7.10pm, on the orders of emergency doctor Dr Alireza Niroumand.

Staff nurse Alice Parker was stationed in resuscitation when Miss Shipsey arrived but was in the middle of a 50-minute handover process with night staff, which included fellow staff nurse Lisa Webb.

Neither of the two nurses or the doctor himself had heard of DNP before, with Dr Niroumand giving Ms Parker several pages of print out from TOXBASE – a system used by staff in relation to unfamiliar drugs.

Ms Parker said she was told by Dr Niroumand that the patient needed cardiac monitoring, which he pointed out in the print out – and she proceeded to do so.

Coroner Geraint Williams asked the nurse if she had been informed that the condition of patients having taken DNP can suddenly and rapidly deteriorate.

She said she had not been told this.

Referring to Miss Shipsey at the time of her arriving in resuscitation to the time she finished handover, Ms Parker said: “She was not agitated at that point. I don’t want to say she was okay, she was in A&E.

“Her presentation was not concerning to me.”

Mr Walsh said Carole Shipsey, a qualified nurse, described “filling up gloves with water because nothing else was available” to cool her daughter down who was sweating and flushed, while in resuscitation.

Both Ms Parker and Ms Webb said they were not aware of this.

“To attach cardiac monitoring you have to gain access to a patient’s chest. I did not notice that she was sweating,” said Ms Parker.

Ms Webb said she did not “recall Bethany being sweaty in resus” and had agreed alongside a senior colleague for her to be moved to cubicle one in the major unit of A&E at sometime around 8.15pm to make room for other patients.

She said the cubicle was “visible” and near the nurse’s station but if she had been aware that a patient who needed more than cardiac monitoring, she would not have moved her.

She said at 7.43pm, while in resuscitation, Miss Shipsey had complained that she was too hot, but on taking her temperature, found it was “absolutely fine” but did not record this.

She also said her oxygen saturation levels had dropped for less than a minute while in her care, but she did not inform doctors or colleagues in the major unit.

Immediately after arriving in majors, her heart rate reading had soared to 180.

The patient was moved from major to high care under the supervision of nurse Hannah Oliver, at around 8.50pm, with her heart rate having risen significantly.

Ms Oliver said soon after Miss Shipsey’s arrival, Carole called for her help.

“She [Miss Shipsey] was pale in colour, but really hot,” said Ms Oliver.

“She was thrashing around on the trolley. Her mother and I tried to reassure her. It was difficult to get the monitoring to stick.”

She then had a seizure before being rushed back to resuscitation where she died, following around one hour of CPR.

With the department particularly busy, Mr Walsh posed the question: “Is it possible Bethany’s deterioration in resus was simply overlooked?”

The inquest continues.