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Student, 20, 'treated like time-waster' before collapse and agonising death
The inquest found missed scans, poor checks and a fixed gastroenteritis diagnosis after Libby Instone visited urgent care three times in 24 hours.
Teesside Coroner Clare Bailey ruled on Monday that neglect contributed to the death of 20-year-old Libby Instone, who died from an infarction of her small intestine after repeated medical misdiagnoses.
Instone visited North Tees Hospital Urgent Care Centre three times in 24 hours, where doctors repeatedly diagnosed gastroenteritis despite her severe pain and vomiting, treating the student as a "time-waster."
Her mother, Susan Instone, testified that staff failed to examine her daughter properly; Libby vomited "black liquid" in a car park after being discharged at 1.30am.
Group Chief Medical Officer Michael Stewart offered "an unreserved and sincere apology for the missed opportunities in Libby's care" following the coroner's finding of "gross failures in her care."
Stewart cited a "degree of confirmation bias" regarding the diagnosis, while Coroner Bailey accepted that the hospital trust has since improved procedures to prevent future errors.