Rebecca Handcock represented the local authority in an inquest concerning the death of a vulnerable woman, TT, who lived alone with her elderly mother.
Background
TT was a vulnerable middle-aged woman with severe disabilities, which caused her to be wheelchair bound. She lived with her 77-year-old mother who acted as her caregiver.
TT was estimated to have died in late 2022. Her death had been concealed by her mother for a significant length of time, during which multiple complaints were made by neighbours to the housing association about the condition of the flat.
In November 2023, TT’s mother reportedly pushed her daughter’s remains around a shopping centre and the police were notified.
Inquest
The inquest into TT’s death considered:
• how the deceased and her mother were able to disengage completely from supportive services including medical and social care services
• whether concerns about their isolation and possible neglect should have been acted upon sooner, and
• whether any agency or collection of agencies could have taken more proactive or “professionally curious” steps to ensure both mother and daughter were appropriately treated and safeguarded.
Rebecca’s submissions focused on the local authority’s changes to training and processes to ensure failures and missed opportunities for intervention are more easily and thoroughly identified and dealt with.
The coroner recorded an open verdict.