Man, 32, suffers fatal seizure after spending last hours of life ‘begging’ GP and pharmacist for medication

A MAN with epilepsy suffered a fatal seizure aft spending the past hours of his beingness 'begging' his GP, NHS 111 and a pharmacy for his medication.

Charlie Marriage, 32, passed distant connected June 2026, 2021, aft moving retired of his epilepsy drugs.

He suffered a fatal seizure successful his level successful Camberwell, South London, having spent 2 days frantically contacting his GP, NHS 111 and a Superdrug pharmacy successful bid to get clasp of his medicine Fycompa.

Charlie had been relying connected the 8mg tablets to negociate his information for 2 years, with his mum Henrietta describing the drugs arsenic "game-changer".

He was archetypal diagnosed with epilepsy astatine property 14.

A inquest into the 32-year-old's decease flagged failures committed by Charlie's GP, NHS 111 telephone handlers and a locum pharmacist moving successful the Camberwell pharmacy astatine the time.

Delivering his verdict astatine London Inner South Coroner’s Court connected January 21, Coroner Xavier Mooyaart said “there were a important fig of failings” and “many missed opportunities” that contributed to Charlie's death.

But helium didn't not spell arsenic acold arsenic saying Charlie wouldn't person died if these failings hadn't occurred, The i reported.

Instead, the coroner ruled that sudden decease successful epilepsy (SUDEP) was the cause.

Fycompa tends to beryllium ordered successful specifically for patients and would not apt person been disposable locally, the coroner added.

Mr Mooyaart said Charlie's deficiency of medicine had astir apt contributed to his decease by expanding his hazard of seizure and their severity.

The tragic incidental took spot during the pandemic.

Charlie had been told to isolate by NHS Test and Trace connected Thursday 24 June, 2021.

The 32-year-old, who was studying for a Masters successful occupational therapy astatine Brunel University successful Uxbridge, Middlesex, took the Covid alert proposal seriously, and stayed successful his southbound London flat.

But helium realised by isolating helium would beryllium without his medicine implicit the weekend, arsenic his medicine had been delivered to his assemblage field pharmacy and helium couldn't question to cod it.

He called his GP country archetypal happening the pursuing time to petition an exigency proviso of Fycompa 8mg tablets to screen him until the pharmacy reopened connected Monday and arranged for a person to cod his medication.

Admin unit told him the GP would telephone him backmost successful an hour.

After 2 hours and nary call, helium called again, lone to beryllium enactment connected clasp and past chopped off.

He called again and was told idiosyncratic would telephone him back. When nary 1 called, helium reached retired for a 4th clip – to beryllium told helium had to marque an online petition earlier the GP would contented an exigency prescription.

Charlie did this but the country closed for the play and helium inactive had nary medication.

He past called NHS 111 believing they would assistance him to entree his medication.

In total, helium called them 5 times and explained his afloat concern to abstracted telephone handlers.

He was yet told he'd beryllium capable to cod his medicine for a adjacent Superdrug pharmacy.

Henrietta met her lad astatine the store arsenic helium was excessively anxious to participate and said the brace tried for 2 hours to get clasp of his medication, unaware the pharmacist could not entree the strategy needed to fulfil the NHS 111 exigency medicine service.

Charlie became "very, precise stressed" during this time, Henrietta told The i, and they aboriginal discovered the pharmacy didn't person immoderate Fycompa successful stock.

Charlie took 2 retired of date, little dose pills he'd stashed astatine his girlfriend's flat, hoping they'd beryllium capable to tide him implicit till Monday.

When helium received a telephone from an NHS 111 telephone handler aboriginal connected asking if helium inactive wanted a doc to telephone him, helium said no.

It's believed that conscionable 90 minutes later, portion astatine location alone, helium suffered a fatal seizure.

“Charlie spent the past greeting of his beingness begging for medication,” Henrietta the coroner’s tribunal during a proceeding successful December past year, saying his last hours had been marred by the accent of trying to get clasp of his lifesaving tablets.

Coroner's findings

Mr Mooyaart said that DHU Healthcare, which runs NHS 111 services, should person been capable to place that Charlie needed an urgent callback from a clinician, not a non-medically qualified telephone handler.

The urgency of Charlie's concern should person been evident from his calls to the GP signifier and his online repetition medicine request, the coroner found.

He besides identified failures successful the GP practice’s process to ensure an urgent repetition medicine petition was identified and escalated.

As for the Camberwell pharmacy, it was recovered to person made “a elemental failure” erstwhile it opened for business without being capable to enactment patients needing exigency medication.

The coroner noted that it was 2 weeks down connected on prescriptions, and that the locum pharmacist, who was new, didn't cognize however to entree the machine strategy which held the NHS 111 referral for Charlie's medication.

Mr Mooyaart suggested that the pharmacist could person told Charlie to spell to A&E oregon different pharmacies.

He issued a prevention of future deaths study directed astatine NHS England, calling connected the health work to analyse however they triage patients successful situations similar Charlie's.

NHSE has 56 days to respond.

The Sun has contacted NHSE, DHU Healthcare and Superdrug for comment.

A spokesperson for Superdrug told The i: “Our thoughts and condolences are with Mr Marriage’s family.

“The information and well-being of our patients stay our apical priority. We instrumentality each indispensable steps to guarantee the highest standards of work are upheld astatine each times.

“The autarkic locum pharmacist progressive successful this lawsuit nary longer works with us.”

Henrietta fears that different radical who find themselves without captious meds retired of concern hours could conscionable the aforesaid tragic destiny arsenic Charlie.

Will Marriage, Charlie’s father, said: “We can’t bash thing astir Charlie now. We’re each precise bittersweet astir it.

"But if thing bully tin travel retired of this, if it could mean idiosyncratic other successful the aboriginal doesn’t person to person those waits and those difficulties successful getting indispensable medicine past that would beryllium truly helpful.”