A coroner has found neglect contributed to the death of a ‘fit and healthy’ Newcastle student

A Newcastle University student who died in agonising pain and was made to feel like a ‘time-waster’ by doctors before her death, a coroner has found

The coroner found that neglect contributed to the death of Libby Instone who was described by her family normally fit and energetic.

The 20-year-old from Billingham, Teesside, was told she had gastroenteritis during three visits to an urgent care centre in just over 24 hours. She had been vomiting for days when she finally collapsed and died in August 2023.

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Teesside Coroner Clare Bailey, sitting in Middlesbrough, was told the Newcastle University student, who hoped to become a barrister, died as a result of an infarction of her small intestine – finding that neglect contributed to Libby’s death.

She said neglect findings in inquests were limited to cases where there had been gross failure to provide basic medical attention to someone in a dependent position. She said it was not for inquests for criticise ‘every twist and turn’ of a patient’s treatment.

“In Libby’s case, the failure to consider anything other than gastroenteritis despite Libby enduring four days of vomiting and agonising abdominal pain constitutes gross failures in her care,” the coroner said.

This was compounded by infrequent physical checks, incorrect recording of vomiting and a lack of basic care, Ms Bailey said.

Recording a narrative conclusion, the coroner said Libby repeatedly visited North Tees Hospital Urgent Care Centre (UCC) in Stockton and was later admitted to hospital prior to being discharged home, later suffering a cardiac arrest.

“There were missed opportunities to investigate the cause of her persistent abdominal pain and vomiting, and to provide life-saving treatment,” she said. “Libby’s death was contributed to by neglect.”

Libby’s mother, Susan, 57, told the inquest in a statement that her daughter had returned from a trip to London with her boyfriend on Wednesday, August 16 when she began vomiting and was in extreme pain.

With Libby continuing to retch, the worried mother rang 111 on August 18 and took her exhausted daughter to UCC where she was prescribed anti-sickness drugs but was not examined, she said.

Her daughter, whom she said was usually fit and energetic, was sent home, but her concerned family took her back to the UCC that evening where a doctor said Libby had gastroenteritis and was put on a saline drip.

Mrs Instone, who attended the inquest with Libby’s father, Ian, said her daughter was again sent home at 1.30am on Saturday 19, only for her to vomit “black liquid” in the car park.

Her parents took her back to the UCC at 2.30pm that day as she was “totally exhausted and very weak”, her mother said. After discussion with a member of staff at the UCC, the family decided to take Libby to an accident and emergency unit and started the waiting process again.

Mrs Instone said they waited for around nine hours for Libby to be seen and a nurse put her on a drip and she was given painkillers and anti-sickness medication.

Libby was admitted to a ward that night and, the next day, her parents visited her but claimed staff were pre-occupied by watching a penalty shoot-out in the women’s World Cup on TV.

Mrs Instone said she visited Libby with her husband and they did not know where she was on the ward, saying in her statement: “All the staff were at the nurses’ station watching the Women’s World Cup final. It was penalties and all the nurses were stood around the telly.

“We asked if they could tell us where Libby was and someone said ‘you won’t get any sense out of them until this has ended’.”

Mrs Instone claimed it took 15 to 20 minutes before they got the staff’s attention, once the shoot-out had ended. Later that day, Libby was allowed to go home and she still felt so ill that she was carried back to bed after she had sat with her family for a while, her mother said.

Mrs Instone tried to feed her tomato soup, which she could not manage. Her mother said: “She said she was scared and asked if she was going to die. I laughed and told her not to be daft.”

Minutes later Libby collapsed and paramedics were called. Libby was taken to hospital but could not be saved, the inquest heard.

Mrs Instone said: “A female member of staff then came up to me and told me that they had just thought that she was a time-waster. She was a nurse.

“We had just lost Libby and I didn’t know what was going on.”

In the days after her death, the family said they were told by the hospital that Libby could not have been saved, and they only found out the truth six months later.

Mrs Instone said: “My daughter’s last few days of life were horrendous. Libby was in constant agony, she was scared.

“We were to hospital trusting in the people we believed would look after her but Libby was let down by doctors who were meant to take care of her.

“Libby was treated as an annoyance, a time-waster and was never shown any compassion.”

An independent medical expert found that Libby had not been able to open her bowels for some days and that should have aroused suspicion among medics that she did not have gastroenteritis, as a usual symptom was diarrhoea.

The report found that multiple chances were missed for a scan of her stomach to be done, and that an operation could have successfully treated her blocked intestine.

Dr Michael Stewart, group chief medical officer for North Tees and Hartlepool and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts, told the inquest he offered “an unreserved and sincere apology for the missed opportunities in Libby’s care”.

He said there was a “degree of confirmation bias” regarding the unchanging diagnosis of gastroenteritis. The coroner accepted that procedures have improved at the trust.

A spokesperson from North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Libby Instone who was under our care.

“Our sincere condolences remain with her family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time. We accept the findings of the inquest today. We apologise to her family and continue to offer support to all involved.

“A thorough review of the circumstances surrounding this case has identified shortcomings in the care provided to Libby and her family.

“We are committed to learning from this tragic case and have implemented measures to strengthen processes to reduce the risk of similar incidents in the future”.

He was pronounced dead at the scene

The family of a “loving” son, who died in a collision on the A10, has paid tribute to him. Jacob Hawden, 33, of Westbourne Road, Chatteris, died after he left the road near Littleport while driving a blue Vauxhall Corsa at around 3am on May 17.

Emergency services attended to the area. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jacob was described by his family as being “loved by many” and a “very charismatic” person. Jacob’s family said: “Jacob was a loving son, grandson, brother, uncle, nephew and cousin. He was loved by many and will be sadly missed by all that knew him.

“Jacob was a very unique man and always loved to make people laugh, this was one of his special powers. He was a very charismatic, funny and also musically talented person. He will always be loved and in our thoughts every day.”

Cambridgeshire Police are still appealing for any information concerning the crash. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash or the moments leading up to it or has relevant dashcam footage should come forward.

Anyone with information should report it through the force website quoting Operation Belowda. You can call 101 if you do not have access to the internet.

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“These are all stage-managed catastrophes, as they have always been on Clarkson’s Farm. The thing with a stage-managed catastrophe, however, is that if it is managed well enough, it’s still very funny, and ever since Top Gear and The Grand Tour, Clarkson has proved himself the master of the modern staged farce.”

NEW YORK (AP) — In another of a series of moves restricting media access at the Pentagon, the Defense Department has declared that its press office is now a classified space inaccessible to journalists.

On X, acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez confirmed the move, saying there was “nothing controversial” about it and that it came because speechwriters, who use classified material, were now occupying the space.

“The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility,” Valdez wrote.

“These speechwriters routinely handle classified material … as a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space. There’s nothing controversial about that.”

The latest move, first reported by The Washington Post, took place against a backdrop of escalating tensions between the U.S. media and the second Trump administration, which has played out both in the public arena and at times in the courts.

For many years, Pentagon reporters had credentials granting them wide movement in the building as they sought to interact with press officials there. But last October, most news outlets turned in access badges and walked out of the Pentagon rather than agree to government-imposed restrictions on their work,

The New York Times sued the Defense Department on May 18 for the second time in five months, arguing that a requirement that journalists be escorted while on Pentagon grounds violates the First Amendment and is “an unconstitutional attempt by the Pentagon to prevent independent reporting on military affairs.”

The paper said it had filed the additional lawsuit after first suing the Pentagon in December over new rules imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to challenge an interim policy “that the Pentagon hastily put into place after a federal judge ruled in The Times’s favor in its original lawsuit.” The new policy included the requirement that journalists be accompanied by escorts at all times while in the Pentagon.

The policy was implemented in March following a ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman that had struck down earlier restrictions. The following month, the judge ruled that the interim policy violated his March order. But the escort policy remained in place when an appeals court stayed part of Friedman’s ruling while the government appeals. The appeals process is ongoing.

“But from my experience, which is a lot, once we get there, once it starts, it’s always alright, it’s always great, the football takes over, and I’m very much hoping that that’s the case, that we don’t have to cover the negatives and what’s gone on, and hopefully nothing goes wrong.

But the Scottish actor has suggested his latest role may be the most personal of them all.

Cumming stars in Tip Toe, Russell T Davies’ new Manchester-set Channel 4 thriller, as Leo, a Canal Street bar owner whose life begins to unravel amid rising hostility and online radicalisation.

The five-part drama, which aired its first episode on Sunday night, follows Leo and his neighbour Clive, played by David Morrissey.

After years of living side by side, their relationship begins to fracture as tensions within their community grow increasingly toxic.

Ahead of the programme’s launch, Cumming spoke publicly about experiencing anti-LGBTQ+ abuse on social media, saying the themes explored in the drama felt uncomfortably familiar.

It is one reason why Leo has become such a significant role for the actor.

Written by It’s A Sin, Queer As Folk and Doctor Who creator Russell T Davies, Tip Toe has been described by its writer as his darkest and angriest work to date.

The series explores how online rhetoric, conspiracy theories and political division can spill into everyday life, turning neighbours into enemies.

Alan Cumming (Image: PA)

Few actors are better placed to play Leo than Cumming.

Born in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, in 1965, the actor rose from a rural Scottish upbringing to become one of Britain’s most successful performers.

After training at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, he built an award-winning career on stage, screen and television.

He won a Tony Award for his acclaimed performance as the Emcee in Cabaret and an Olivier Award for Accidental Death of an Anarchist.

Film audiences know him as Boris Grishenko in the James Bond blockbuster GoldenEye and Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, a role he is set to reprise in the forthcoming Marvel film Avengers: Doomsday.

Television viewers may recognise him as political strategist Eli Gold in The Good Wife or, more recently, as the flamboyant host of the American version of The Traitors, which earned him back-to-back Emmy Awards.

Away from acting, Cumming has spent decades campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights and has become one of the entertainment industry’s most outspoken voices on equality issues.

He helped found CrusAID Scotland in 1988 to support people affected by HIV and AIDS and has continued to speak publicly about discrimination throughout his career.

His willingness to challenge established institutions has often attracted headlines.

In 2023, he returned the OBE he had received from Queen Elizabeth II, saying he could no longer accept an honour associated with the legacy of the British Empire.

Earlier this year, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, recognising a career that has taken him from rural Perthshire to Broadway, Hollywood and international television success.

Yet despite those achievements, Tip Toe may prove one of his most important projects.

Set in the heart of Manchester’s Gay Village, the series examines what happens when prejudice becomes normalised and how online hatred can affect ordinary lives.

For Cumming, it is a story that reflects concerns he has spoken about publicly for years, making Leo a character who feels closer to home than many of the roles that came before him.

Tip Toe is available to stream on Channel 4 On Demand.

The long-range forecast predicts when it could become hot again

The UK has seen record-smashing weather with the warmest spring since 1884 and hottest May day on record during last week’s heatwave. But the Met Office has forecast more heat later this month as we head into summer.

An early and record-breaking heatwave at the end of May meant that this year the UK experienced the warmest spring. Some areas saw six consecutive days above 30°C. The UK basked in soaring temperatures, with 35.1C measured in Kew Gardens, west London, and 32.9C recorded at Cardiff’s Bute Park, on Tuesday last week.

Each month of spring were some of the warmest on record, beginning with a joint tenth warmest March, followed by the seventh warmest April and then a May that finished up as the joint third warmest.

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Met Office scientists have said the records being broken show ‘the longer-term warming’ of the world with more ‘extreme conditions’ happening more often, WalesOnline reports.

Met Office scientist Dr Emily Carlisle said: “This spring highlights both the natural variability of the UK’s weather and the longer-term warming we are observing. While conditions varied through the season, all three months of meteorological spring recorded mean temperatures within the UK’s top ten warmest on record.

“While we expect fluctuations from year to year, this spring shows some of the changes we’re seeing in our weather patterns, with more extreme conditions becoming more frequent.”

As well as high temperatures, rainfall patterns have also seen a change with spring rainfall decreasing by 14 per cent from the long-term meteorological average for the UK.

Met Office scientists also found that breaking the 32.8°C May record is around three times more likely now in our current climate than it would have been in a natural climate not impacted by greenhouse gas emissions.

This week, the weather has taken a turn with rain returning for many across the UK with thunderstorms also likely. Showers and longer spells of rain are expected to continue throughout the first two weeks of June and temperatures are ‘likely to be near normal overall’ claims the Met Office.

However, the long term forecast from Tuesday, June 16, until Tuesday, June 30, states that whilst “heavy showers and thunderstorms become more probable”, higher temperatures and hotter weather may return.

The forecast states: “The start of the period is likely to be relatively settled, with high pressure in the vicinity of the UK bringing drier conditions to most parts of the UK.

“However some showers or spells of rain are still possible. Winds will mostly be light with temperatures probably above normal. Towards the end of June, low pressure may begin to have more of an influence, especially across the south where heavy showers and thunderstorms become more probable. It may also become hot in parts of the south.”

Work on traffic signals at the pedestrian crossing by Frankie & Johnny’s Cookshop in Bishopthorpe Road is set to begin on Monday, August 3 and finish on Tuesday, August 14.

Dave Atkinson, City of York Council’s environment lead, said the lights had been in place for a long time and needed replacing.

Works set to be begin in August come as part of council efforts to repair and replace ageing traffic signals across the city.

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Works in Bishopthorpe Road are set to include refurbishments to the signals and ducting networks, laying a new electrical power supply and resurfacing the approaches to it.

Repainting road markings, applying entry treatment to junctions on the approach to the crossing and works on Ebor Street to accommodate the resurfacing are also planned.

A council report on the works stated the measures would ensure the ongoing operation of the crossing and reducing the risk of signals failing, while also cutting energy consumption.

The report stated: “The crossing is currently among the worst condition traffic signal sites across council assets.”

Council director of environmental and regulatory services Mr Atkinson said officials would be in touch with affected residents and businesses in the coming weeks to inform them about the works.

The director said: “This is the latest project in our long-term programme to replace, upgrade, and maintain traffic light systems across the city.

“The lights on Bishopthorpe Road have been in place for a long time and need replacing.

“While we are in the area, we are also taking the opportunity to refresh the road marking and improve some of the surfaces, particularly on the approach to the junction, helping to make journeys smoother and safer.

“We will be carrying out this work during the summer and we will do all we can to minimise disruption.”

Georgina Owen died in September 2019, aged 21 years old, after suffering ‘delusions’ due to vitamin deficiency

A father hopes to raise awareness of the dangers of a vitamin deficiency if untreated – after his “full of life” daughter died aged only 21. Georgina Owen, from Saffron Walden in Essex, died at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge on September 19, 2019.

A written inquest determined that Georgina died of a brain injury after taking her own life. Georgina had been on a vegan diet since 2016, and took vitamin B12 supplements for her diet.

In her inquest, doctors said it was “likely” that Georgina suffered a vitamin deficiency as a result of her diet, and this led to “possible mental illness and that on the balance of probabilities”. Georgina’s father, Dr Peter Julian Owen, paid tribute to his daughter and described her as a “lovely” girl who was “full of life”.

Mr Owen added: “She was our oldest daughter and only daughter. She was doing amazing things. She did something called Project Trust, where they place people for a year abroad for various goodwill projects around the globe.

“Georgina was placed in South Africa. She was teaching classrooms with hundreds of kids and driving them around in a minibus and she loved it.

“She came back and having done maths, physics and chemistry, she actually wanted to do geography. She moved to being a vegan and wanted to do right for the planet. She was doing well at [University of] Swansea and always wanted to do something significant and good.”

‘Silent crisis’

Following Georgina’s death, Mr Owen has been working with others to raise awareness of the “silent crisis” behind vitamin B12 deficiency and if untreated or undiagnosed, it can lead to potential “irreversible neurological damage”.

Mr Owen has been working as part of the B12 Alliance, formed of charities and experts looking at the dangers of vitamin B12 deficiency, as well as raising awareness about it. “We want to raise awareness about diagnosis and treatment,” said Mr Owen.

As part of the B12 Alliance, the experts and charities have created an educational pack that is soon to be used by NHS England. Mr Owen added: “What’s become clear is guidance on how to manage B12 deficiency in the over 16s. There’s a space that needs filling about what you do with children.”

To identify if someone has a vitamin B12 deficiency, a blood test is taken. Mr Owen said that the document produced by the group shows the “blood test isn’t perfect”.

The father said that everyone should have access to an additional blood test that shows if the “cells are working, rather than what’s in the blood”. Mr Owen said: “There’s a difference between having B12 in your blood and it getting in the cell and working.

“That additional blood test is not widely available and that’s the challenge.” Mr Owen added that it’s not just from plant-based diets that people can experience a vitamin B12 deficiency, but also diabetic people who take metformin.

Peter added that it’s “really important” more awareness is raised about diagnosis and treatment for this vitamin deficiency. The B12 Alliance is raising money via a JustGiving page for the campaign. The group will also be heading to Westminster on September 10 to try and spread their message nationally.

Available for over a year

Today, more than 1000 pages of documents about Peter Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the US have been published by the government.

Adam, Chris and Joe get together to discuss what the files tell us about Peter Mandelson’s vetting process, his relationship with some of the government’s most senior figures and his thoughts on the Prime Minister’s leadership.

Some of the files have been redacted or held back as part of the ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office by Peter Mandelson. He has repeatedly let it be known that he believes he has not acted criminally, did not act for personal gain and is co-operating with police

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say “Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers.

You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscord

Get in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.

New episodes released every day. If you’re in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd

Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris. The social producer was Jem Westgate. The technical producer was Dafydd Evans. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

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