Care service criticised over Tipton woman's death

An investigation into the death of a Tipton woman who had extreme fear of germs and died in her armchair at home has criticised health services for showing a lack of "proactivity".

The serious case review into the death of Samantha Hancox ultimately concludes the intervention of services could not have saved the 40-year-old, who suffered with extreme obsessive compulsive disorder.

But the report also says Miss Hancox's GP and nurses should have shown more "professional curiosity" – pointing out she did not receive any care for 32 months prior to her death.

It said: "There is no evidence of proactivity after August 2007. There could, and should, have been more professional curiosity from the GP and the district nurse and staff nurse; notably what was the impact of the parents' respective health conditions on their ability to care for the subject. It could well have been that her mental health and therefore her capacity significantly reduced in the last 32 months.

"If repeat prescription, Mental Health registration and Carers' Registration reviews had been carried out by the GP between August 2007 and May 2010, the answers to these questions may have emerged."

Miss Hancox had an overwhelming fear of germs that began when she was 14 after the death of her aunt. At one stage she would spend up to 20 hours a day in the shower. Emergency services were called to her Andrew Road home, the home she shared with her parents, in May 2010. She had confined herself to an armchair for two months and refused to eat.

A post mortem concluded the cause of death was severe dehydration, ulceration plus the breakdown of body tissue and other factors.

The report added: "Individually, agencies did everything that could have been reasonably expected of them at the time of their interventions; although a consolidated multi-agency approach was missing and the full picture was never collated."

The report made a series of recommendations relating to improved communications, training and referrals. It also said all staff involved in the case should receive a specific debriefing.