Inquest opens into Ipswich mum Denise Johnson's death

Suffolk Coroner's Court opened the inquest on Monday into the death of Denise Johnson, a mum-of-three who passed away on November 24, 2022.

The court heard how the 42-year-old, from Ipswich, was admitted to Ipswich Hospital on August 13, 2022, having been diagnosed in November 2021 with stage one breast cancer.

The court heard from medical professionals involved in her care over conversations about whether the mum-of-three should be treated at Ipswich Hospital or Addenbrooke's. 

Members of Denise's family were in attendance on Monday, including her sister, Emily Clack, who described her sister as a "truly wonderful and unique person" as well as a "devoted mother, grandmother and cherished daughter and sister."

Denise Johnson (Image: Emily Clack)

The court heard Denise was admitted to hospital in August 2022 and staff found she had gallstones.

The 42-year-old then underwent a procedure called ERCP, which was unsuccessful, and contracted pancreatitis and sepsis.

On August 21, less than 48 hours after the procedure, Ipswich Hospital's Thomas Groot-Wassink, who had been monitoring Denise, decided she should be put into critical care.

At the inquest, Mr Groot-Wassink said: "Given her high-risk situation I was very concerned and requested help from Addenbrooke's.

"I was told Addenbrooke's wouldn't be needed unless a specialist treatment is required.

Denise with her husband Darren (Image: Emily Clack)

"My concern at that point was that she might have had a slightly better chance if she had been in a different setting with more facilities like Addenbrooke's rather than Ipswich Hospital."

The family's solicitors told the court how the family had concerns over her treatment in the months leading up to her death.

The statement read: "She struggled with breathing and was not offered physiotherapy to help and was just left to lie in bed.

"I was unhappy with how she was eating, she couldn't tolerate tubes and smoother foods were not given to her until later in life.

Denise with her sister, Emily (Image: Emily Clack)

"There was no sense of urgency with her treatment.

"I believe that had she been transferred to Addenbrooke's she could have received care."

Denise was due to undergo surgery that would have helped with her survival chances.

The surgery was set for October 25, but the court heard Mr Groot-Wassink had caught Covid prior to this, and was off work between October 25 and November 15.

This led to a rescheduled surgery, as there was no one else able to perform the surgery at Ipswich Hospital, due to the complexity of the procedure.

The surgery was due to take place on November 25. 

Denise Johnson (Image: Emily Clack)

Siong-Seng Liau, the clinical lead of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) at Addenbrooke's Hospital, also gave evidence.

Mr Liau said: "Between November 4 and 15, there were efforts from Addenbrooke's to relay the right message to Ipswich Hospital, but Ipswich didn't make it clear who the correct point of contact should be.

"It would have been easier for Addenbrooke's had we been given a single, named contact for us to talk to at Ipswich Hospital."

Denise with her family (Image: Emily Clack)

Following the evidence, coroner Daniel Sharpstone adjourned the inquest to bring in an expert in HPB to fully understand Denise's pancreatitis care.