A breakdown in communication which stopped vital blood test results reaching a Prestwich mental health unit contributed to a teenager's death, jurors have ruled. Rowan Thompson, who was an inpatient on the Gardener Unit, died aged 18 on October 3, 2020.
In a six-day inquest held at Rochdale Coroners Court, jurors heard that Rowan had 'severely low' levels of potassium before their death, but old out-of-service phone numbers and email issues meant blood test results were not communicated from Salford Royal Hospital to Prestwich in time to save their life. Rowan, who identified as non-binary and used the pronoun 'they', died following a seizure the next day.
Members of the jury were sent out to deliberate this morning (October 31) and, after five hours of discussions, concluded that the lack of timely communication on Rowan's blood test results contributed to their death. They also ruled that this amounted to 'neglect' - meaning 'a gross failure to provide basic medical care' as a result of the failure.
