Essex woman ‘could have lived longer’ after hospital treatment was withdrawn, coroner warns
Report says poor communication over end-of-life decision may have led to premature withdrawal of treatment
An Essex woman could have lived longer if hospital treatment had continued, a coroner has warned. Janet Daniels died aged 74 on October 6, 2024 at Colchester General Hospital from sepsis originating from an intravenous line infection.
Her death occurred six days after the withdrawal of treatment including intravenous fluids and antibiotics. On the morning of Saturday, September 28 a decision was made by a specialist palliative care nurse and a senior registrar to move Mrs Daniels to end of life care.
However, concerns have been raised around the decision to withdraw treatment. The decision was taken even though she had made it clear she wanted treatment to continue and had been sat up in bed that morning, drinking tea, eating cereal and talking with her family.
A prevention of future deaths report reports neither the patient nor her family were informed of significantly improved CRP levels – indicating the amount of inflammation in the body – and an only very moderately raised white cell count – indicating her sepsis had stabilised.
Coroner Sean Horstead said that “in this context, the agreement of the family members on Sunday, September 29 to discontinue intravenous antibiotic treatment was made on the basis of partial and incomplete information”.
He said the inquest conclusion in January 2026 “reflected the shortcomings in the trust’s communication with Mrs Daniels and her family around conversations about withdrawal of treatment which, in turn, probably impacted the timing of her death.
The trust accepted that there was a failure to communicate appropriately with the family to ensure that they, and Mrs Daniels, fully understood that a transition to ‘last days of life’ care was deemed clinically appropriate and/or the basis for that decision.
A statement from Mr Horstead added: “Her responsible clinician consultant confirmed in evidence that Mrs Daniels would probably not have died on October 6, 2024 had intravenous antibiotics and fluid continued to be administered as she had clearly indicated she wished to happen – and the family would have wished to have happened, had the clinical position been discussed with them as, the Trust accepted, in should have been.”
The prevention of future deaths report added there is a “risk that patients and family members may not be appropriately consulted with respect to the basis for and timing of end-of-life care and, accordingly, that withdrawal of active treatment may be prematurely undertaken”.
Adrian Marr, interim chief executive of East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester and Ipswich hospitals, said: “We would like to extend our deepest condolences to Mrs Daniels’ family and loved ones.
“We accept the Coroner’s findings and take them very seriously. We have taken action to strengthen how we make and document end‑of‑life care decisions. This includes clearer clinical guidance and improved staff training. We have also incorporated the What Matters to Me care tool in our new electronic patient record.
“The improvements we have made will make sure patients and their loved ones are always fully involved in these important discussions and decisions.”