Disabled woman, 49, died three weeks after NHS dentists removed all of her teeth under anaesthetic
- Rachel Johnston, 49, was discharged but started to feel unwell the day after
- Community dental service in Worcestershire completed Rachel’s procedure
- Mother Diana said she’d asked for few teeth to be taken at a time but was told no
A disabled woman who had all of her teeth removed by NHS dentists died almost three weeks after the procedure.
Rachel Johnston, 49, started to feel unwell shortly after she was discharged following a ‘full dental clearance’, done by the community dental service in Worcestershire, which was performed she was under general anesthetic.
Her mother Diana Johnston told the BBC she asked if her daughter’s teeth could be taken out ‘a few out at a time’ but that she was told ‘they only wanted to put her under once.’
Rachel Johnston, 49, had her teeth removed and died almost three weeks after the procedure
Ms Johnston, who suffered brain damage after having meningitis as a baby, was anaesthetised at Kidderminster Hospital on October 26 before the procedure.
Although she seemed to be in good spirits at first, the next day Ms Johnston’s care home contacted her mother to say she was ‘bleeding quite a bit’ and was just ‘laying there.’
The next day she was rushed to hospital and put on life support but her family were told there was nothing else they could do for her and Ms Johnston died on November 13.
Two other families have also spoken about their shock after their disabled sons were taken into operating theatres to have teeth removed but came back with out any.
Nora Ashmore said she ‘couldn’t believe what they were saying’ when doctors revealed her son Kelvin, then 32, had had all his teeth removed three years ago.
She described it as ‘so drastic’ and that she only thought some tooth decay was going to be removed.
Her mother Diana said she asked if her daughter’s teeth could be taken out a few at a time but said that she was told ‘they only wanted to put her under once’
Debbie and Jon Perry’s son also had his teeth taken out by the Trust around the same time as Kelvin three years ago and said their son was ‘very distressed.’
Both families said they signed some forms but did not realise that all of their sons’ teeth would be removed in the procedures.
Sarah Coleman, Mencap’s health policy officer, said: ‘Sadly, it is very common for there to be a lack of communication between healthcare professionals and people with a learning disability and their families.’
A spokesman for Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust explained to the BBC how sometimes dentists will make decisions while patients are under anesthetic as they do not want to pause.
A spokesperson for the three Worcestershire CCGs said: ‘Whilst it would not be appropriate for us to discuss the details of any specific case, we can confirm that all relevant agencies are committed to work together to share the facts and review the circumstances leading up to a recent case of the death of a person with a learning disability.
‘The review of care for this person is being coordinated by Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups, under the auspices of the Learning from Deaths for people with a Learning Disability (LeDeR) programme.
‘A core principle of the LeDeR approach is to ensure that the involvement and contribution of people close to the deceased person, including family members, is central to the whole review process.’
A post-mortem is yet to determine the cause of Ms Johnston’s death.