ITV News, 31 July 2024
The parents of a woman from Exeter who died from ME have questioned why she wasn't kept in hospital after she was admitted with severe symptoms.
Maeve Boothby O'Neill died at her home in October 2021, aged 27. The daughter of Times journalist Sean O’Neill, had myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
Also called chronic fatigue syndrome, ME is a long-term condition that can affect different parts of the body.
According to NHS England its cause is unknown, but the most common symptom is extreme tiredness.
Dr Thomas Fox, a consultant endocrinologist and physician at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, saw Maeve in March of 2021.
He told the inquest that, although she appeared weak, there was no medical reason at the time to admit her.
She was capable of drinking with minimal assistance and consuming mashed or liquified food, he explained.
However, Dr Fox said he was concerned about her condition deteriorating.
In March 2021, he said the hospital was coming out of a wave of Covid, vaccinations were still not widespread, and the risk of infection spreading was extremely high.
Dr Fox agreed that Maeve's discharge notes said she was keen to be sent home.
Like all doctors giving evidence at the inquest, he was asked about his knowledge of ME.
He said he recognised it as a real condition, but there was uncertainty among experts about its causes and he had not been given any specific training in how to treat it.
In his acute medicine role, he had a small amount of knowledge about a lot of things.
He added that, like many of the other doctors, he'd never seen an ME patient with such severe symptoms.
He believed that there were now better arrangements in place for patients with ME within the organisation.
The inquest continues.