Published Article

HeadlineSouthwark care home inquest after resident’s death

Short HeadlineSouthwark care home inquest after resident's death

StandfirstGerald Whitrod died after choking on some food, but had overcome disability to lead a happy life.

Gerald Whitrod’s family gathered at Southwark Coroner’s Court to hear he had died of accidental choking at a care home in February.

Mr Whitrod was diagnosed with autism and bi-polar disorder at birth, and could not speak.

He lived in care for most of his life, and had enjoyed living at Leatham Lodge where he was a popular resident.

Choking

On 16 February 2018 staff at Leatham Lodge called an ambulance as Whitrod became blue in the face after eating some toast.

He suffered cardiac arrest at the scene before falling into a coma at St George’s Hospital.

The family requested that Mr Whitrod be taken off life support five days later.

Family questions

Whitrod had suffered mild nausea on the morning he died, but had requested some food from staff.

The family questioned why staff gave him food so soon after he had been unwell.

The coroner stated it was clear Gerald requested the food.

He added that medical reports showed that neither his disabilities or any medication he was taking would have created difficulty swallowing food.

Upon discovering Gerald was unwell, staff called the local GP who said they would call back.

Whitrod’s brother speculated at the hearing that the GP should have prioritised Gerald as he had significant disabilities and had recently been in hospital.

‘Unclear Procedure’

He went further and said there was a procedure that would have guaranteed Gerald was seen earlier.

The coroner responded that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to confirm or deny whether such a procedure existed.

At the end of proceedings, the Coroner found that Gerald had died by accidental choking whilst eating.

The family accepted the findings were in line with their understanding of events at the time.