Yvonne Ford, 59, was ‘slightly’ scratched by a puppy on holiday in Morocco and died four months later
The family of a cherished mother who passed away following a rabies infection contracted from a dog scratch have questioned whether the NHS was adequately “ready” to handle her condition, a pre-inquest review has been told.
Yvonne Ford, 59, died four months after receiving she was “slightly” scratched by a puppy while on holiday in Morocco. The scratch transmitted rabies, and she subsequently passed away at a hospital in Sheffield on June 11, YorkshireLive reports.
Her husband, Ron Ford, and daughter, Robyn Thomson, were present at today’s hearing (5 December) at Sheffield’s Medico-Legal Centre, ahead of a full inquest scheduled for next year. Six witnesses were selected to give evidence before an inquest jury due to the disease being categorised as “notifiable”.
The development comes as the family face their first Christmas without their “beautiful mum” and what would have marked her 60th birthday. Yvonne, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, became unwell towards the end of May and, despite receiving care at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital, unexpectedly died the following month.
Present at court today, the family raised queries about whether the NHS possessed the preparedness to manage a diagnosis as critical as Yvonne’s. Throughout the pre-inquest proceedings, relatives also voiced apprehensions regarding information communicated to them during Yvonne’s treatment, referencing a telephone conversation in which they maintain they were told Yvonne “did not have rabies”.
Addressing the court, Ron stated: “I want to ask the doctors themselves why certain things were missed.”
Assistant coroner Marilyn Whittle addressed the family, acknowledging their “burning desires to ask [doctors involved in Yvonne’s case] certain questions,” while clarifying that the coroner’s remit focuses on establishing “who, what, when, where and how” Yvonne died.
Earlier this year, Yvonne’s daughter Robyn shared a heartfelt tribute to her mother on Facebook, writing: “Our family is still processing this unimaginable loss, but we are choosing to speak up in the hope of preventing this from happening to others.
“Yvonne Ford, Ron Ford’s wife and our Mum, died of rabies. She was scratched very slightly by a puppy in Morocco in February. At the time, she did not think any harm would come of it and didn’t think much of it. Two weeks ago she became ill, starting with a headache and resulted in her losing her ability to walk, talk, sleep, swallow. Resulting in her passing.”
A full four-day inquest examining Yvonne’s death has been scheduled for next year, commencing on March 2.
