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Inquest finds that Claudette Williams was failed after a series of missed opportunities by the North London NHS Foundation Trust contributed to her death

Claudette Williams was a 69-year-old woman who had been admitted to Chase Farm Hospital as a psychiatric patient on 13 September 2024. She died on 25 September 2024 of a cerebral haemorrhage after the Trust failed to ensure she was given medication she had been prescribed to treat hypertension.

The jury identified a series of missed opportunities to ensure the prescribed medication was given to Ms Williams. They found that:

  • the referral by the Trust’s liaison team to Chase Farm inadequately detailed Ms Williams’ medical history;
  • The missing medication should have been identified when Ms Williams was clerked into Oaks Ward at Chase Farm Hospital;
  • There was a lack of review by the Hospital’s pharmacists of Ms Williams’ medication after discrepancies were highlighted by a technician;
  • There was a lack of communication between the pharmacists and Ms Williams’ medical team;
  • When Ms Williams’ friend emailed her psychiatrist about her medication highlighting what was missing, the psychiatrist decided to monitor Ms Williams’ blood pressure instead of putting her back on the medication; and
  • The psychiatrist did not seek advice from a specialist when making the aforementioned decision to monitor.

The jury concluded that it was probable that the missed opportunities from the Trust contributed to Ms Williams’ death.

The original cause of Ms Williams’ death was recorded as ischaemic heart disease resulting from coronary artery atherosclerosis. However, following expert evidence from an independent consultant cardiologist, the Trust ultimately accepted the medical cause of death he identified: a cerebral haemorrhage caused by hypertension.

It was Ms Williams’ daughter and her close friend who persistently advocated for the inquest to consider whether her death was linked to the hospital’s failure to properly reconcile her medication. Abimbola was instructed by Jo Eggleton and Rachel Tribble of DPG Solicitors, whose fantastic work persuaded the coroner to commission a report from an independent consultant cardiologist.

The cardiologist’s evidence proved pivotal to the Coroner’s investigation. Without it, the true cause of Ms Williams’ death might never have been uncovered.

Ms Williams was a cherished member of her community. Throughout the three-day inquest, the courtroom was filled with her family and friend, an overspill room had to be arranged to accommodate the numbers, while others attended remotely. She was remembered as someone deeply committed to helping others. Beginning her voluntary work at the age of 19 as a youth worker in Brixton, she was a founding member of the Brixton Black Women’s Group.

Her achievements were wide-ranging: she advised the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Education, was awarded an honorary fellowship by the School of African American Studies at the University of California, and co-authored two educational books for children. Her final role was at the Institute of Education, and even after retirement, she continued to volunteer her time and energy.

In her later years, Ms Williams was supported by a strong network of loved ones—a reflection of the care and generosity she showed others throughout her life. She is survived by her daughter and her brothers. You can read more about Ms Williams here in an obituary written by her friend Gail Lewis published in the Guardian newspaper.