Young Chesterfield woman with 'emotional and psychological problems' died after ingesting surgical scrub

Karmen Young, 31, passed away at Chesterfield Royal Hospital on November, 8, 2018 and an inquest into the cause of her death is taking place this week.

The hearing will examine the care Miss Young received from hospital teams, paramedics and social workers prior to her death.

Derbyshire coroner Peter Nieto said Miss Young had a history of ‘emotional and psychological problems’ as well as a ‘relatively long-standing’ issue with alcohol.

MORE: Delays expected as more major north Derbyshire roads set to close for works

The inquest, at Chesterfield Town Hall, was told paramedics attended her home address at Newbold Court, Chesterfield, on November 8, 2018 at about 3pm.

East Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic Suzanne Hill-Harmsworth said Miss Young was with who she believed to be her social worker and was sat on a sofa in an ‘intoxicated’ state.

Miss Young told ambulance crews she had drunk a bottle of vodka that day and there was also an empty bottle of tequila in the flat.

Paramedics said she had suffered a ‘serious hemorrhage’ and was vomiting blood.

MORE: Carer jailed for stealing almost £10,000 from vulnerable Derbyshire woman

Miss Young refused to answer most of the paramedics’ questions but demanded gas and air from them, the inquest was told.

She was swearing and her voice was slurred, but she ‘willingly’ walked down several flights of stairs to the waiting ambulance and was taken to Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Staff nurse Jamie-Lee Glynn, the screening nurse when Miss Young was admitted to the hospital, completed a hand-over with the ambulance crew.

The inquest heard Miss Young’s care plan did not did not include details about her ingesting different substances, as this had started to happen only ‘relatively recently’.

There was also nothing in her notes which suggested the need for one-to-one supervision.

Miss Young’s heart beat and blood pressure were high on her admission to hospital and she was taken to a recess room on a hospital trolley.

Mr Nieto previously told the opening of Miss Young’s inquest, in January 2020, that a post-mortem found the cause of death to be acute pulmonary injury and the ingestion of Hydrex surgical scrub.

The inquest is expected to continue until Friday.

Support your Derbyshire Times by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.