Coroner's Court of Western Australia

Inquest into the Death of Anna Maria CAMERON

Inquest into the Death of Anna Maria CAMERON

Delivered on :18 November 2015

Delivered at : Perth

Finding of : Coroner Linton

Recommendations :N/A

Orders/Rules : N/A

Suppression Order : N/A

Summary : The deceased was a 65 year old lady with a long diagnosed history of mental illness and at the time of her death was subject to an involuntary patient order.

The focus of the inquest was primarily on the treatment and care provided to the deceased while a patient at Graylands Hospital and the events that led to her hospitalisation at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital prior to her death.

The Coroner found that the deceased experienced her first bout of schizophrenia during her second year at university and it continued to affect her to varying degrees throughout the remainder of her adult life.  Over the final few years of her life, the deceased began to be overwhelmed by her symptoms more often, with increased number and length of in-patient admissions.  From about September 2011, the deceased started spending even more time in Graylands Hospital due to increasingly intrusive thoughts.

On 22 January 2013 the deceased was seen eating a sandwich for her early evening meal when she choked.  Despite steps taken by medical staff at Graylands Hospital the deceased was asystole and not breathing.  Full cardio pulmonary resuscitation was commenced until ambulance officers arrived.  They were able to clear the deceased’s airway, administer adrenalin and cardioversion shocks.  Once stabilised the deceased was taken by ambulance to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.  The deceased was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit and she was given a very poor prognosis.  A decision was made to provide the deceased with palliative care.

The Coroner found that the deceased died on 27 January 2013 at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital as a result of early bronchopneumonia and hypoxic brain injury following aspiration of food (choking) and death arose by way accident.

The Coroner was satisfied that there was nothing that Graylands Hospital did or failed to do that contributed to the deceased’s death.

Catch Words : Involuntary patient : Choking : Accident


Last updated: 19-Apr-2024

[ back to top ]