Karen has now been in Conquest hospital for 1 year and 9 months. Karen is continuing to have TPN (IV feeding) and IV fluid in hospital.
Update from Petition – from the Gordon family
On Tuesday the 9th of September Karen had the mental capacity assessment. A social worker adviser from the 25% ME group (for those affected by severe / very severe ME) was Karen’s witness.
As planned Karen did the assessment in two 15-minute sessions with a ½ hour break in between them for Karen to rest. Near the end of the 2nd session Karen’s consultant told her that his provisional view from the assessment was that Karen does have mental capacity.
The outcome does not stop the problems with ESHT and St Marks though. The assessment made Karen more exhausted and unwell and it took weeks for Karen to recover from. Since the assessment, Karen’s consultant has confirmed that the outcome is that Karen does have mental capacity.
On Monday the 29th of September we received an email from Karen’s solicitor. The solicitor had received a response from ESHT's solicitors to the letter he had sent to Jayne Black CEO of ESHT on the 20th of August. ESHT's solicitors also sent him a clinical note by Karen’s gastroenterology consultant about the mental capacity assessment and a copy of a letter to ESHT’s Chief Medical Officer from Dr Christopher Tibbs the Acting Medical Director of South East Region NHS England about home PN.
ESHT’s solicitors said in their letter about discharging Karen without TPN if she does not agree to go to St Marks.
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More information
- The ME Association: The Gordon family have reported that East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust are preparing to take legal action against Karen | July 17, 2025
- The ME Association: Deputy CEO of ESHT responds to Dr Charles Shepherd’s Letter | April 25, 2025
- The ME Association: Karen Gordon: Update on UCLH decision to not provide home based IV feeding | March 12, 2025
- The ME Association: Karen Gordon: Family report East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is considering trying to evict Karen from hospital | July 23, 2025