London student with epilepsy died after spending days desperately tying to get medication
Share:
A coroner has recommended that NHS England reviews how it deals with patients with so-called “cliff edge conditions” like epilepsy and diabetes following the death of a South London student. Charlie Marriage, 32, suffered a sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) at his flat in Camberwell, during a seizure after he was unable to get his anti-epilepsy medication.
The Brunel University student had spent two days unsuccessfully trying to get his anti-epilepsy drugs from medical professionals before he died on Saturday June 27, 2021. Speaking at the outcome of an inquest into the student’s death on Tuesday (January 21), Xavier Mooyaart, Assistant Coroner for Inner South London, said there were “clear cohorts of patients” who might be “similarly vulnerable in the future” if they were not “appropriately advised”.
Mr Mooyaart said these people included patients with epilepsy, as well as diabetes and heart failure patients, who might be at risk of death if they didn’t get their medication early enough or in sufficient quantities. He said that his recommendations would require consideration at a “national level across several systems”, adding that NHS England, which provides the majority of healthcare in the UK’s largest country, was best placed to carry out such work.
Mr Mooyaart added: “The fact of this is not a criticism of NHS England but to acknowledge they have the privilege of being in the best position to consider this [and prevent future deaths].”. Before his death, Charlie had managed to get a dose of Fycompa — an anti-epilepsy drug — that he had found at his girlfriend’s house. But the medication was out of date and he took a lower dose than usual.
