• Avon and Somerset police confirm they are investigating the death of teenager Oliver McGowan
  • He died in 2016 at North Bristol Trust, after doctors prescribed him anti-psychotic medication to which he had an intolerance
  • The medication was prescribed despite warnings in his medical records and against owns his parents wishes

Police in Bristol have launched investigations into the circumstances that led to the death of a teenager with autism and learning disabilities, HSJ can confirm.

Avon and Somerset Police told HSJ they are investigating the circumstances behind the death of Oliver McGowan in 2016, at North Bristol Trust.

They said: “As part of the enquiry [officers] will interview a number of individuals as they seek to establish the circumstances around Oliver’s death before seeking advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.”

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Oliver died in 2016 at Bristol’s Southmead Hospital after being admitted following a seizure. He had mild autism, epilepsy and learning difficulties.

During previous hospital spells he experienced very bad reactions to antipsychotic medications, prompting warnings in his medical records that he had an intolerance to these drugs.

Despite this Oliver was given anti-psychotic medication by doctors at Southmead against his own and his parents’ wishes. This led him to suffer a severe brain swelling which led to his death.

His death has since prompted a national training programme for NHS staff on the care of people with autism and learning disabilities. 

Last year HSJ revealed the Clinical Commissioning Group investigating Oliver’s death under the national learning disabilities mortality review programme had altered his review to eliminate blame.

The news prompted NHS England to commission a new independent LeDer review for Oliver, which is still currently underway.

Oliver’s parents, Paula and Tom McGowan said they hoped the police would do a “full and thorough investigation into Oliver’s death”.

They added: ”We have the mental capacity act, the equality act, the human rights act but it seems these laws are not adhered to for this group of people.

”The learning disability mortality review has published that there are well over 1200 preventable deaths in learning disabled people every year. Oliver was one of them. His voice was willfully ignored in life and up until now has be muted in death. We embrace the police doing a full and thorough investigation into Oliver’s death.”

The trust was approached for comment.

https://www.olivermcgowan.org/

Source

Police statement and information given to HSJ

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