An “extremely hygiene conscious” mother died from a stroke caused by an E coli infection, an inquest has heard.
Laura Farmer, 46, died shortly after being admitted to University College Hospital (UCLH) with diarrhoea on April 20.
She was diagnosed with haemolytic uraemic syndrome, a rare kidney condition, caused by Shiga toxin producing E coli.
When Ms Farmer was thought to be recovering, she suffered an unexpected stroke and died.
The mother and her family had found her E coli diagnosis difficult to understand and a coroner has raised concerns that doctors who treated the mother “did not know if the source of the infection that killed her had ever been identified”.
“She was a vegan who took great pains with food preparation,” Senior Coroner Mary Hassell wrote in a Prevention of Future Death report.
“As a family, they were extremely hygiene conscious, particularly as [REDACTED] has a nut allergy.”
Ms Farmer had not been able to give a detailed description of where she may have got the E Coli infection and concerns were raised about whether the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) had asked enough about the infection.
“There was apparently no exploration of potential contact with animals or water sports and I was told that only scant details of a recent restaurant visit were obtained,” the report said.
“The UKHSA did not at any stage ask[REDACTED] for information to assist in attempting to determine the source of the E coli infection that ultimately killed his wife.
“If asked, Mr Farmer would have explained that on 6 April 2024, not only did he and his wife visit a local restaurant, they also had drinks at a nearby club, and they had recently eaten and drunk at local military establishments.
“None of that information appears to have been considered by the UKHSA.”
The report also explained that Mr Farmer was given no advice about how to keep himself or his child safe from E Coli.
He had cleaned the bathroom in anticipation of his wife returning home from hospital, but did not use any personal protective equipment.
“When he later became unwell, he did not know whether he had put himself at risk,” the coroner added. “Having heard his description in court, I think it is not an exaggeration to say that he was then terrified that his own actions might leave his child an orphan.”
At one point Mr Farmer had seen there was an E coli outbreak in Waverley in Surrey and the clinicians at UCLH knew which strain of E coli had infected his wife.
But they could not say whether that strain had been discovered in Waverley or elsewhere.
The clinicians explained they received no feedback or advice after reporting the case to the UKHSA.
The coroner noted that there seemed to be no “closing of the loop of safety information after a death from E coli”.
They continued: “[Mr Farmer] struck me as a person of significant drive, and yet he found it incredibly difficult to find the correct person to speak to and then incredibly difficult to gain any meaningful understanding of what had happened.
“This cannot inspire public confidence and seems a very offhand way to treat a grieving relative.”
Trish Mannes, Deputy Director for the UKHSA South East region, said: “We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Laura Farmer. We are carefully considering the Coroner’s conclusions and will respond in due course."
