[warning: death, heartbreaking story] This is appalling. How could it have happened?

[TraumaQuestions]

A dying woman called 999 and asked for an ambulance, giving her address. No ambulance was dispatched. Nobody checked up on her. Her profoundly disabled daughter, who depended on her totally, also died. Nobody noticed for weeks or months.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2z36yzzdlo

Oh my fucking God, I cannot believe what I have just read. Those poor women.

I've just been reading about this on the news. Disgraceful.

Utterly heartbreaking, those poor women.

I knew it was going to be this story. Read it on BBC news earlier and couldn't stop shaking my head in disbelief.

As a mother of a child with significant disabilities, and who will never live independently, this really strikes a chord with me.

I know the 999 call handler plays a huge part but who else was looking after these women? Where was their support network? What services were involved with care and support?

Sickening and heartbreaking (and by the sounds of it, ultimately avoidable)

How awful

How could the call handler think the call had been abandoned when Alphonsine's last words were, in a literal sense, begging for an ambulance? Her daughter's experience doesn't bear thinking about.

I know the 999 call handler plays a huge part but who else was looking after these women? Where was their support network? What services were involved with care?

The hospital discharged her pragmatically and then showed no concern when she failed to attend her appointments. Awful

That's horrifying. And as PP says where was the support that should surely have kicked in when the mother did not return to hospital - if not sooner.

RIP Alphonsine and Loraine ❤️

That is appalling, and so sad.

They were let down by so many people and services, things like this shouldn't happen, there should be failsafe procedures.

I’ve just read the article and it is just horrific. I can’t understand how anyone could have taken that call and thought that it needed no action.

That phone operator should be charged with manslaughter.

That is just awful. Those two poor women, utterly failed by those who should have been taking care of them.

I suspect "pragmatic discharge" means "she was so desperately worried about her daughter that no power on this earth could have stopped her leaving the hospital, and at least if we sort of discharge her we can give her some high dose oral antibiotics, but if she takes her own discharge we can't". But yes, one has to suspect that pretty soon after that 999 call she was in no fit state to make another call, and if her daughter was completely dependent upon her...that ending is so grim it doesn't bear thinking about.

That's tragic, why not a welfare check after no ambulance?

The hospital discharged her pragmatically and then showed no concern when she failed to attend her appointments. Awful

wtf

I was just reading about this. It's horrific

Out and out racism, leading to two deaths. Disgusting. I bet you if the same words had been said by a someone with a Home Counties accent and a naice address an ambulance would have been dispatched.

This is so awful.

I remember asking why there weren't some sort of regular checks on vulnerable people with only one adult to look after them after that equally awful story a few years ago, where a mother died and her disabled non verbal little boy died lying next to her.

There should be. Maybe just a text that only flags up if there is no response or something. Or perhaps some sort of site or group set up that could check on each other if they ere in that precarious situation.

Poor things ❤️❤️

Terrible. RIP

This is so awful on so many levels!. The dispatcher had no business deciding it was an abandoned call when her last words begged for help and she had the address. I can't imagine the horror that young girl went through.

How heartbreaking awful. Very choked up reading about this. As someone who lives alone with no friends or family it’s quite terrifying to think there are some operators out there who if you stop responding after literally begging for an ambulance and they try to call you back with no response, will conclude that you no longer need it rather than maybe you’re unconscious already and therefore absolutely do!

@PreciousTatas agree wholeheartedly with you where there is only one adult that lives with and cares for a vulnerable adult or child that they should be an absolute priority via some sort of alert and should be subject to say weekly monitoring as who knows two lives may not have been lost through this tragic incident.

Fucking Hell, this is dreadful. :-(

I agree with posters above there should be extra support for when there is one adult caring for a vulnerable adult or child.