Woman Ate Herself To Death After Care Home Staff Left Her Fridge Unlocked

A morbidly obese woman with a rare condition that made her constantly hungry ate herself to death after care home staff left her fridge unlocked, an inquest has heard. Kirsty Derry, 23, of Heath Hayes, Staffordshire, who was 4ft 8in and weighed 19st, suffered from Prader-Willi syndrome which caused her to experience endless urges to eat. She died from heart failure after putting on 7st in nine months after moving into an assisted living care home Victoria Mews in nearby Stone.But an inquest heard she gorged on Double Decker chocolate bars and Cornetto ice creams after convincing staff to remove special locks on her cupboards that restricted her eating.

She died in July 2013 - just a month after her mother Julie Fallows, 50, had written to the council saying she feared for her daughter’s life.Speaking after the inquest, Miss Fallows said: ‘Kirsty was diagnosed with Prader-Willi when she was two. I tried my best to control her eating, but she was always ravenous and tried everything to get her hands on food. ‘Before Kirsty went into supported living, I had a fridge and freezer in a pantry with a locked door, and the cupboards were high so she couldn’t reach them - food wasn’t readily available. ‘Kirsty decided she wanted to live independently - she was a grown up and I wasn’t in a position to stop her. Of course I wanted her to stay at home with me, it’s a mother’s instinct. ‘But I wanted her to be happy and have what she wanted. I thought she’d be safe and happy in a supported living environment.’ Miss Derry’s weight ballooned from 12st 7lbs, when she went into supported living accommodation in October 2012, to 19st in just nine months, before she died the next year. Miss Fallows told the inquest that her daughter was supposed to have one-to-one support from care workers at Victoria Mews from 8am until 10pm daily - but often this was not the case. Her bungalow was also fitted with ‘assisted technology’, which meant that her fridge and cupboards were locked at all times - and if she tried to get into them alarms would alert support workers.

However this was removed in January 2013, seven months before her death. Miss Fallows said: ‘I spoke to her every day and I used to go over once or twice a week to take her out. The more I went the more I would notice that support workers weren’t with her. ‘It got worse and worse as time went on, sometimes staff were nowhere to be found. When she asked them to remove the assisted technology they just did it without even consulting me.‘I know she was an adult but she needed that support. They should have told her "no" or asked me about it. ‘She would wait for agency staff to take her food shopping, rather than her usual carers, so she could buy want she wanted - chocolate, fizzy drinks - she loved Cornettos and Double Deckers. ‘They shouldn’t have let her do that - not only did she have Prader-Willi, but she was also diabetic.‘When she was younger I’d always load up her plate with loads of vegetables or salad - that way it still seemed like a big meal to her and kept her busy, but it wasn’t unhealthy. ‘As soon as she moved into supported living her diet went down the drain and her blood sugar went through the roof. It really started going downhill when they removed the assisted technology - that was the beginning of the end.’ Social workers told the inquest there was nothing they could do to help Miss Derry because she had the mental capacity to make her own decisions, despite her declining health. But Miss Fallows became increasingly worried about her daughter’s deteriorating health, and the court heard how she sent a strongly-worded email to Staffordshire County Council in June 2013 – a month before the death - saying that she was worried for her daughter’s life. The email read: ‘You, in effect, by placing Kirsty at Victoria Mews have handed her a death sentence.’ Miss Fallows, who also has a son Matthew, 18, said: ‘How can someone be deemed mentally capable when the choices they make are killing them - if they are eating themselves to death? ‘She needed help. I’d hate another parent to go through what I’ve been through. I never have a good day, I have bad days and better days. ‘You should never outlive your child, a mum should never have to bury her daughter. If I could go back I would never let her go, I would never let her out of my sight. ‘Something needs to be learnt from this - if I could just stop it happening to one more person that would be a small comfort.’ In a further blow, Miss Fallows’s family were told the devastating news of her death over the phone - her father Gary Derry, 48, received a phone call from Victoria Mews. He then had to break the news to Miss Fallows while she was at work at the Post Office in Heath Hayes.

Miss Fallows said: ‘She was fine the day before she died, she was so happy as usual - it came as such a shock. We had our Friday night chat as usual about what she’d been up to. ‘I was going to see her on the Saturday - she’d always ask me “What’s the plan?” We were going to go shopping. She was so happy and bubbly, and so funny - she used to crack me up. ‘She was always smiling, she was very trusting and would make friends with anyone. She loved everyone. It was absolutely devastating.’
Miss Fallows has struggled to cope with her daughter’s death, and two years on still feels that there is no closure for her. She has since left her job at the Post Office and now works as a support worker for the Affinity Trust charity, helping adults with special needs. South Staffordshire Coroner Andrew Haigh recorded a conclusion that Miss Derry died of the consequences of a natural condition that was not effectively addressed. He added: ‘Hopefully appropriate lessons have been learned. The degree of her capacity seems to have deteriorated. 'She could understand matters but controlling herself having taken that information in, was a different matter.’ Miss Fallows hopes she will find some comfort one day as the second anniversary of Miss Derry’s death approaches - and she is planning on seeking further legal advice.