‘Abnormal’ blood test results not investigated two weeks before 22-year-old died, inquest hears
Blood test samples that revealed "abnormal" results from a young woman were not investigated two weeks before she died, an inquest heard. Elizabeth Oluwatofunmi Agbejimi, 22, died at Lincoln County Hospital on June 27, 2021, after collapsing at home and having a cardiac respiratory arrest.
Elizabeth, who moved from Nigeria to Lincoln at the age of four, was born with Down syndrome and had spinal cord compression. An inquest at the Myles Cross Centre, in Lincoln on Tuesday, June 13, heard that on June 12, 2021, Elizabeth was admitted to Lincoln County Hospital with increasing lethargy after being previously independent and mobile.
About the story
This was the first ever inquest I reported on and I decided to attend after searching the Lincolnshire County Council inquest listings and coming across this one. Whilst I couldn’t find anything online or via social media that might indicate the context of Elizabeth’s death, or any posts from her family, an inquest for someone who is only 22 is always sad and was worth attending to find out more.
We also found a picture of Elizabeth we had published on her first day at school (picture 31) amongst other schoolchildren at the time - https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/gallery/aww-how-cute-lincolnshire-kids-1976134, which I showed to her family at the inquest who were very appreciative.
The circumstances surrounding Elizabeth’s death were related to claims that Lincoln County Hospital had not done enough to help her which could have ultimately prevented her death. This was a strong public interest inquest due to the claims against a public body.
I approached Elizabeth’s family after the inquest with compassion, offering my condolences and asking if they would like to speak to me. They were very grateful I was sharing Elizabeth’s story and getting their voices heard. I asked for photos of Elizabeth and family photos to enhance the story which her mother sent through to me.
This was an example of a piece of my work that may not have had the most audience engagement as other pieces, but meant everything to the family who had been through such a difficult time and felt let down by the hospital. It also was a valuable experience for me to gain more skills as a reporter through ensuring accuracy, sensitivity and detail.
Legal and ethical concerns
As it was my first inquest, I had to ensure my shorthand notes were accurate, especially relating to time periods, health conditions, as well as writing in a suitable tone.
I also reached out to Lincoln County Hospital to give them the opportunity to comment, due to the accusations made against the public body at the inquest.