Latest news with #CourtOfProtection
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Anorexic woman can be force-feed by doctors, court rules
Doctors have been told they can force-feed an anorexic woman following a legal 2023, a court said 25-year-old Patricia, whose name has been changed for legal reasons, could not be forced to use a feeding a legal challenge by her family members, the the Court of Protection has now ruled treatment can be used "to save her life".Patricia, who weighs just three stone (19kg), is under the care of three different NHS bodies operating in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and, in a joint statement, they said they welcomed "the clarity" the ruling gave. The judgement said that Patricia, who is autistic, has suffered from anorexia nervosa since the age of 10.A court order made in 2023 ruled against force-feeding Patricia without her was challenged by her parents at the Court of Protection, which makes decisions for people who "lack mental capacity". 'Patricia's will to live remains strong' Mrs Justice Arbuthnot now ruled Patricia could now be force-fed regardless of whether she had personally given permission, as this was in her "best interests"."Having considered the balance of the imminent risk of death versus the harm which will be caused psychologically and emotionally... the balance is in favour of trying to save her life," she said."Patricia's will to live remains strong. She speaks about what she would like to do in her life, including travelling."Patricia did not want the order lifted, and was "traumatised" by the thought of having to be force-fed, arguing it was "torture", Mrs Justice Arbuthnot said. "What struck me was how wrong it was that a potential life-saving option, open to every other anorexic in the country, was not available to Patricia," she has been treated by doctors from Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.A spokesperson on behalf of the three NHS bodies said Patricia's health and wellbeing remained their "priority"."We welcome the clarity this Court of Protection ruling provides and the court's thorough review of this complex case," they said. Details of support with eating disorders in the UK are available at BBC Action Line Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Please save our anorexic daughter, family pleads with NHS
The family of one of Britain's sickest anorexia patients has issued a desperate appeal to the NHS to offer the 25-year-old a bed in an eating disorder unit. Patricia, as she is known under a court order, weighs 22kg (3st 6 lbs) – the average weight of a seven-year-old – and has a body mass index of 9, making her among the most unwell eating disorder patients in the country. On Thursday, her parents and aunt won a landmark legal battle overturning a court order that had blocked the NHS from treating her anorexia for 21 months. Mrs Justice Arbuthnot ruled that doctors must be permitted to provide life-saving treatment, including the option of force-feeding, which had been denied under an earlier court order. This is the first time the Court of Protection has reversed a ruling to withhold eating disorder care. 'In danger of deteriorating' On Saturday, her family issued a desperate appeal for the NHS to act on the judgment and help save her life. They told The Telegraph said: 'We are incredibly grateful to the judge. Her ruling has removed the legal barriers that prevented Patricia from being admitted to a specialist unit for almost two years. 'But unless a consultant steps forward now to offer her a bed, she will still die. Patricia is back home, still dangerously underweight and in danger of deteriorating. 'Every suitable unit in the country has been contacted, but for months none has replied to say they have a bed. 'We know how fragmented the system is, but Patricia doesn't have time for NHS bureaucracy to fail her. If a bed isn't found in the next few days, it may be too late. 'We're not asking for special treatment – just for our brilliant, bright and loving daughter and niece to receive the same care as any other critically ill patient. 'Please, if you run an NHS unit for complex eating disorder cases that is autism-friendly and works collaboratively with patients, check your referral inbox. 'We need every consultant psychiatrist with an available bed to ask their team, 'can we help save this young woman's life?' Patricia can only survive if someone says yes.' 'Don't let bureaucracy cost Patricia her life' Patricia's parents and aunt also issued a direct plea to the Health Secretary, who framed it as part of his war on red tape when he announced plans to scrap NHS England in March. 'Please, Mr Streeting, do not let bureaucracy cost Patricia her life,' they said. 'If a consultant with a bed does not see the referral in time, and she dies as a result, it would be a tragedy beyond words.' The original 2023 judgment in Patricia's case, issued by the now-retired Mr Justice Moor, followed a decision by clinicians at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust that her anorexia was 'untreatable'. The judge agreed, finding that although Patricia lacked the capacity to make treatment decisions, she had the 'autonomy' to refuse care. He claimed she was 'days or even hours' from death and ruled that force-feeding was not in her best interests. She could, he said, be discharged for palliative care at home. But Patricia, who has always insisted she wants to live, defied expectations. She survived the next 18 months, but without access to eating disorder treatment, her condition worsened. By March, she weighed just 19kg, with a BMI of 7.3 and was at 'immediate' risk of death. Over eight hearing days between March and May, Mrs Justice Arbuthnot heard evidence from Patricia's parents, a psychologist, gastroenterologist and several psychiatrists — including Dr Ali Ibrahim, a consultant who gave a pro bono opinion in favour of compulsory treatment to restore Patricia to a healthy weight. He acknowledged the trauma that force-feeding can cause, but cited outcomes showing patients often recover and later feel grateful for the care they had once resisted. The family was represented pro bono by barrister Oliver Lewis, who worked for more than 150 hours on the case. In court, he argued Patricia is so severely ill she 'cannot distinguish between broader wishes ['I want to live'] and the narrower ones regarding life-saving interventions ['I don't want NG feeding'].' The submission from her parents and aunt included increasingly desperate WhatsApp messages they had received from Patricia pleading for help. On 28 February, she wrote to her aunt: 'I don't want to die… I want to walk up mountains. I want to swim in the sea. I want cuddles and kisses. I want to play and have fun. 'I'm so so scared. I'm terrified. Please help me more. WE [sic] haven't got much time to play with. I'll never walk if we don't sort things now.' Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, where she is being monitored, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, which provides her mental health care, opposed the family's application. Both argued that force-feeding would be futile, a position that appears to contradict NHS guidance that anorexia is not a terminal illness and should be treated. The trusts can be named after The Telegraph successfully challenged court reporting restrictions twice. NHS Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, which commissions Patricia's care, can also be identified. In her judgment, Mrs Justice Arbuthnot ruled in favour of the parents' application, stating: 'I agreed with Mr Lewis when he said, echoing Dr Ibrahim's observation, that by 'respecting [Patricia's] autonomy, the court [in 2023] had permitted her anorexia to call the shots'. The court found Patricia remained incapable of making treatment decisions, and that the previous ruling had failed to protect her welfare.
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Mum 'gave her vulnerable son ketamine even as it risked his life'
A vulnerable teenager whose ketamine addiction has left him with life-threatening health problems was allegedly given the drug by his own mother, a court has heard. The "frail and emaciated" 18-year-old, from Lancashire, has had stents fitted to relieve pressure on his kidneys, a side-effect of bladder problems caused by abusing ketamine since he was man, referred to in court as GWS, has only spent 33 days out of hospital since December due to ketamine-related complications. After he asked to leave hospital despite a "clear risk of death", the Court of Protection ruled last week that he lacked the capacity to make decisions about his own medical care. Generation K: The disturbing rise of ketamine abuse among young peopleKetamine bladder: Special clinics as youth addiction 'explodes' The court heard GWS was taken to A&E in June severely malnourished and with a suspected gastrointestinal bleed and infection. An NHS trust successfully obtained a deprivation of liberty also asked the Court of Protection to rule that the teenager lacked capacity to make decisions about his medical care. The trust urged the court to prevent GWS from discharging himself before a "long-overdue" procedure to replace the kidney stents, which must happen every six to nine months to prevent life-threatening blockages. It also highlighted that GWS had no suitable accommodation lined up since a supported living provider said it could not manage his health court heard that, as a result, he was at real risk of living on the streets while in a dangerously frail condition. GWS also had diagnoses of ADHD and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as traits of factors were also raised as concerns about his mental capacity. When asked to give evidence, doctors said that if GWS self-discharged, "there [would be] a real risk he would die".Sophia Roper KC, representing the NHS trust, told the court GWS's ability to make rational decisions was impaired by a "perfect storm" of poor mental and physical health, chronic addiction to ketamine and childhood trauma. In her ruling published last week, Mrs Justice Theis DBE, Vice President of the Court of Protection, said she agreed with Ms Roper that the evidence showed GWS was "not using and weighing up the relevant information about treatment". The judge said she agreed that GWS had "no real grasp of reality of what it would be like if he walked out".The court heard GWS had suggested he could return to live with his mother, but Mrs Justice Theis said this was "wholly unrealistic". She wrote: "His history reveals his mother had chronic mental health difficulties and alcohol abuse, as a consequence she struggled to impose any boundaries or provide consistent care from when GWS was six months old. "More recently she has been accused of providing GWS with ketamine."The court also heard GWS had likely been exploited to move drugs by his dealers. 'Extraordinarily difficult background' Government figures estimate ketamine use in England and Wales has more than doubled since GWS, the damage caused by the drug became clear in 2023 when he suffered symptoms including blood in his urine. He was diagnosed with a ketamine bladder syndrome, where the bladder thickens and has very little capacity. In 2024 his condition worsened and he was further diagnosed with bilateral hydronephrosis - dilation of both kidneys due to obstruction caused by the thickened bladder. It necessitated the insertion of the stents to prevent kidney have to be replaced about twice a year under general anaesthetic. The court heard GWS's health worsened as he continued to take Justice Theis wrote that despite his "extraordinarily difficult background" GWS was "polite and considerate" and remained "optimistic" about living said she hoped the stent procedure would take place as soon as possible and that suitable accommodation could be offered soon so "he can start taking the steps towards achieving the independence he so clearly wants". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
