Review after grandmother starves

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A 79-year-old grandmother starved to death after a "lack of mindfulness" by welfare services, an inquest has heard.

Mother-of-ten Ivy Allen was found emaciated on her sofa, with no food in her Warrington home, the coroner heard.

Ms Allen's pension had been returned because her front door did not have a letterbox, the inquest heard.

Ms Allen died from gross malnutrition as result of natural causes, including self-neglect, the coroner ruled. A review of procedures is now under way.

Recording his verdict, coroner Nicholas Rheinberg said: "It is a summation of a lack of mindfulness of those undertaking their duties as they saw fit."

He added: "The biggest single failing was one of communication."

It was a combination of lapses and no intervention that led to this tragedy Nicholas Rheinbergcoroner

Ms Allen had told hospital doctors she could not afford to feed herself, when she was admitted with a heart complaint in the June before her death in September.

But social services were not told this when she was discharged.

Pension cheques had been returned because the council had replaced Ms Allen's broken front door with a back door, which did not have a post box.

But no-one was sent round to check on her, the coroner heard, and her pension was eventually suspended.

The court heard Ms Allen had a history of psychiatric problems and was often confused and resentful of offers of help.

But no community psychiatric nurse had checked on her health after her discharge from hospital, because they were not told she was home.

The coroner concluded: "In normal circumstances one single lapse has no effect.

"But it was a combination of lapses and no intervention that led to this tragedy."

'Difficult lady'

The inquest heard how Ms Allen had tried to cut off contact from her family, and refused social service offers to place her in a home.

She rarely cooked for herself, leaving her bungalow each morning for the cafes and pubs of Warrington town centre, and not returning until night.

The council had tried to install a post-box at her home, but gave up because she was never in.

Coroner Rheinberg added: "Ms Allen was a difficult lady in some respects, a very single minded lady who didn't always act in her best interest."

But he said in this case the agencies had "perhaps not gone as far as they could have done or should have done in discharging their duties".

The coroner encouraged the various agencies involved to set up a joint review of the circumstances leading up to Ms Allen's death.

Ms Allen's son, Gordon Bradbury, said he accepted his mother's death was a result of a number of coincidental failings by the authorities and her determination to be independent.

He said he blamed no one person or agency.