British Section of the World Federation of Doctors Who Respect Human Life

BBC News Online, 9 Nov. 06, reported on the inquest in Norwich into the death of Mrs. Olive Nockels, aged 91, who died in the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in 2003.

“The barrister for Mrs. Nockels’ family, Christopher McNicholas, told BBC ‘Look East’ that consultant Dr. David Maisey said patients died of dehydration about two or three times a week. The hospital denies this was said. . . . 

“When the inquest opened in July 2006 he cross-examined Dr. Maisey, the consultant. “One of the questions that I asked of Dr. Maisey was ‘Doctor, how often do you see patients die of dehydration in your hospital?’, to which he replied “I see it happen all the time.’ I immediately followed up that question with ‘Well, doctor, how often does that happen?’ And his reply was ‘about two or three times a week.’

“This is disputed by Dr. Iain Brooksby, the medical director at the hospital, who said: ‘We are quite clear that Dr. Maisey said it was not unheard of for elderly patients to be suffering from dehydration and for that to be a contribution in a very small number of deaths, i.e. once a month.’ ”

Mrs. Nockels’ family claimed that she had pleaded for food and a cup of tea in the days leading up to her death. The coroner returned a verdict of Death from Natural Causes. A consultant pathologist and a gastro-enterologist had been refused leave to give evidence on the grounds that they belonged to the Catholic Doctors’ Guild.