Nurse who downed whiskey, wine, and cider killed herself

A nurse who drank ‘anything she could get her hands on’ killed herself after fighting a 20-year battle with depression.

Susan Hodgskin, 50, suffered problems with her mental health after she failed to get promoted to the role of cardiac nursing specialist at Countess of Chester Hospital, in 1998.  

Last May 18, after rows with her son and husband about her drinking she wrote a note saying she was ‘sick of things in life’ and sent a message to her children saying: ‘Love you.’

Susan Hodgskin with her husband Ken

Susan Hodgskin (left and right, with her husband Ken, killed herself after fighting a 20-year battle with depression

The nurse then took a fatal overdose of her own medication at her family home in the village of Childer Thornton near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

Her body was found by her son surrounded by boxes of prescription pills and bottles of alcohol.

Mother-of-two Mrs Hodgskin, who worked at Arrowe Park Hospital on the Wirral, Merseyside, had been diagnosed with postal depression in 1997 after the birth of son Josh and was prescribed anti-depressants.

But her health began to deteriorate the following year when she was rejected for the senior role at Countess of Chester Hospital.

Estranged husband Ken, 55, an A&E nurse told the Chester hearing: ‘When we first got together she wasn’t bad at all. But then she went for a job as a cardiac nurse specialist and she didn’t get it and that just set her off. I think it was when it started, in around 1998.

‘She would drink anything she could get her hands on. Whiskey, wine, cider, vodka literally anything she could get her hands on. She was under psychiatrists, and was taken to hospital but she wouldn’t stay there.

Mrs Hodgskin, 50, was said to drink 'anything she could get her hands on'

Mrs Hodgskin, 50, was said to drink ‘anything she could get her hands on’

‘Originally she had been on fluoxetine but she said that they had made her feel more suicidal so she came off them. Generally when she drank she would want to self harm, it would make her feel worse.

‘She was working and she did hold down jobs. A few times in Oxford she would have time off for stress related problems but she would spend her time off drinking. If she was off she would drink all day every day effectively.’

Her son Josh, 20, said: ‘When we moved back up north in 2015 after living in Oxfordshire it was better for a few months, but then it just went back downhill. My mum would hide the alcohol.

On May 7 it had been my little sister’s birthday and she had a party. But my mum and I argued about her drinking and she just went and locked herself in her room so I took my sister out for her birthday. I didn’t really speak to my mum properly for the rest of the time.

‘On the 17th I had fallen asleep and I woke up around 10.15pm to a message from my mum at 9:15 saying ”love you”. 

‘I hadn’t spoken to her properly after the argument about my sisters birthday. 

‘I read the message and immediately thought that she could have done something stupid.

‘I went up to her room to check on her, and she had the TV on but I could see she was sleeping and she was wrapped in a duvet.

‘Then I had a look round, just to have a check to see if anything was there that she was hiding, while not trying to wake her up but I couldn’t find anything and thought she was fine so went to bed.’

Susan Hodgskin

Susan Hodgskin

Susan Hodgskin, 50, suffered problems with her mental health after she failed to get promoted to the role of cardiac nursing specialist at Countess of Chester Hospital, in 1998

The alarm was raised the following day when Joshua and his sister Laurie noticed their mother had not gone to work as her car was still in the driveway. The hearing was told Mrs Hodgskin had made previous suicide attempts in 2003, 2009 and 2013.

She requested propanolol for stress, and underwent a ligament reconstruction in November 2016. Multiple boxes of prescription medication, including propanolol, paracetamol, ibroprofen and codeine were found next to her body and strewn across the bed.

Police also found a number of hidden bottles of alcohol as well as the empty blister packets of the drugs.

Tests showed she had 2.4mg of codeine in her blood – almost five times the recommended plus 3mg of propanolol – ten times the usual level.

Recording a conclusion of suicide, coroner Dr Janet Napier said: ‘It is clear that she had the burden of a hard job on her shoulders.

‘Even when she was suffering with depression she seems to be able to work and hold down a job which is amazing really.

‘Her consumption of alcohol was out of control and that didn’t exactly help her. There were a lot of attempts at self harming over the years.

‘She did not seem to want any help or be on any medication for any length of time.

‘As a nurse she would have know the effects of what she was taking, and she had taken propanolol before.

‘It is clear from the notes and text messages that the intent was to self harm.’

 

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