Libby Instone was told she had gastroenteritis during three visits to a Stockton urgent care centre in 24 hours
The partner of a 20 year old law student, who died in excruciating pain after being made to feel like a 'time-waster', said regardless of how much they pressed medical staff, it 'felt like we couldn't get anywhere'.
Libby Instone, from Billingham, was diagnosed with gastroenteritis during three visits to an urgent care centre within just over 24 hours. She had been experiencing vomiting for days before she ultimately collapsed and died in August 2023. Last week, an inquest determined that neglect played a role in her death. She died as a result of an infarction of her small intestine.
Now, her partner Theo Corbett has appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain, where he spoke to presenters Susanna Reid and Ed Balls about his final hours with Libby, Teesside Live reports. Sign up for YorkshireLive Premium here Theo, who had been with her the day prior to her death, said: "Me and Libby had been to London beforehand... I spoke to Libby on the evening she got home - on Facetime - she was fine.
Then I spoke to her the next day and I could see that she was writhing around in pain on her bed. She was pointing to her stomach.
" "I could see straight away she wasn't right and it was a stark difference from how she was and then she rapidly deteriorated and it resulted in her hospital attendances. " He added: "I was there for the final three and a half hours that Libby was in hospital before she was discharged. Whilst I was there, she wasn't examined, she wasn't attended to, she was due further pain medication, which she had asked for, which she didn't receive.
# "I was sat by the bed with her whilst all this was going on until it got to the point we were told 'you are discharged, you can go home now'.
" In a powerful response, Susanna said: "The fact that it seems that the calls for pain relief were not answered and that Libby and her family were treated as 'time wasters'. I mean, that makes you feel sick because everybody understands AandE is under pressure but to be treated as a 'time waster' when in fact you are dying is disgusting.
" Fellow GMB guest Dr Sara Kayat responded: "It's horrific and it should never have happened. And that is what is so tragic about this. This is a case that could have been so different if they started each reassessment - every time she came in - with a fresh page and didn't have that bias from a previous doctor's assessment of them.
" In a deeply emotional moment, Theo added: "I feel like we were trying to raise concerns that we had and tried to press as much as we could and how worried we were about Libby's health but no matter how much we pushed, no matter how much we pressed, it just felt like we couldn't get anywhere. " In delivering a narrative conclusion, the coroner stated that Libby made repeated visits to North Tees Hospital Urgent Care Centre in Stockton before being admitted to hospital and subsequently discharged, only to suffer a cardiac arrest at home.
"There were missed opportunities to investigate the cause of her persistent abdominal pain and vomiting, and to provide life-saving treatment," Teesside Coroner Clare Bailey said. "Libby's death was contributed to by neglect. " An independent medical expert determined that Libby had been unable to open her bowels for several days, which should have raised concerns amongst medical staff that she was not suffering from gastroenteritis, given that diarrhoea is a typical symptom.
The report identified that numerous opportunities were missed to conduct a scan of her abdomen, and that surgical intervention could have successfully treated her bowel obstruction. Dr Michael Stewart, group chief medical officer for North Tees and Hartlepool and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts, told the inquest he offered "an unreserved and sincere apology for the missed opportunities in Libby's care". He acknowledged there was a "degree of confirmation bias" regarding the unchanging diagnosis of gastroenteritis.
The coroner accepted that procedures have since been improved at the trust. A spokesperson for North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are deeply saddened by the death of Libby Instone who was under our care. Our sincere condolences remain with her family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time. We accept the findings of the inquest.
"We apologise to her family and continue to offer support to all involved. A thorough review of the circumstances surrounding this case has identified shortcomings in the care provided to Libby and her family.
"We are committed to learning from this tragic case and have implemented measures to strengthen processes to reduce the risk of similar incidents in the future" Get all the latest and breaking North Yorkshire news straight to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter here.
Please follow us on Google to support us United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
EastEnders' Libby Fox returns as Belinda Owusu reprises her role for a short stintLibby returns to Walford to support her family in the wake of Denise’s blood cancer diagnosis
Read more »
Boyfriend's final moments with student made to feel like 'time-waster'Libby Instone was made to feel like a 'time-waster' before she died in 2023
Read more »
Traitors winner Stephen Libby's hopes for Susan Boyle duet at Pride of ScotlandStephen Libby was crowned winner of BBC series The Traitors last year and joined the red carpet in Glasgow on Monday night.
Read more »
Libby's return storyline revealed in EastEnders as she betrays a family memberNot more trouble for the Foxs?!
Read more »