An inquest into the death of a Harrogate woman has concluded that no single factor contributed to her taking her life.
Sarah Tatlow, 57, died at home on March 26 last year. At the time of her death she was undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of cervical cancer.
The two-day inquest in Northallerton, which ended today, heard Ms Tatlow’s husband, Julian Tatlow, question the actions of her doctors in the months leading to her death.
Mr Tatlow said his wife only became fully aware of her “poor prognosis” when a letter was sent days before her death.
The letter was written by Dr Isa Edhem, a consultant urological surgeon at Harrogate District Hospital, to Ms Tatlow’s GP practice. Mr Tatlow described the letter as “cold and insincere” and said it contained details not made clear to them during their consultation with Dr Edhem.
Harrogate District Hospital.
Mr Tatlow questioned members of his wife’s care team during the inquest, asking if they had made it clear to her how aggressive her cancer was. The doctors said they were sure Ms Tatlow knew her cancer was aggressive.
The coroner, Oliver Longstaff, said he took Mr Tatlow’s arguments into consideration but that there was no evidence the letter had a direct link to Ms Tatlow’s death.
Mr Longstaff concluded:
“Since it’s not known when that clinical letter arrived and indeed whether she had seen it, it is inappropriate for me to consider that a direct causal link can be found.
“Even if the letter arrived on March 26 and even if she had taken in the content, is there evidence this letter provoked her suicide over other factors?
“She was facing drastic surgery. I find it unrealistic to single out one factor only and say one was a trigger to this tragedy.”
He concluded the death was due to suicide and there was a clear link to her cancer.
Read more:
- Inquest finds homeless Harrogate man endured a ‘drug-related death’
- Wanted man fell to death from tree in Harrogate district, inquest told
Hospital action plan
Mr Longstaff then read out an action plan written by Dr David Earl, on behalf of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, setting out a number of recommendations the hospital had put into place following Ms Tatlow’s death.
These included a protocol whereby, rather than sending letters to a patient’s GP, they are sent directly to the patient, explaining their prognosis and management plan. This is due to be rolled out across all departments by autumn this year.
It also suggested doctors would be more proactive with referrals to the cancer clinical psychology team if patients are struggling to cope.
Mr Longstaff said the trust’s action plan meant there was no need for him to write to the trust outlining his own recommendations.
Dr Jacqueline Andrews, executive medical director at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said in a statement afterwards:
“We would like to offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Sarah Tatlow, and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.”
