"My Wife Passed Away When Doctors Halted UTI Treatment – It Felt Like a Mechanic Telling You to Junk Your Car After a Gasket Blows"

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Paul Heath's Story
• Jo's Health Condition
• Medical Issues
• Hospital Response
• FAQ

A WIDOWER whose wife was hospitalized due to a urinary tract infection (UTI) claims she passed away after doctors discontinued her medical treatment without obtaining any consent from the family.

Paul Heath, 71, has spent the last 18 months trying to uncover the reasons behind the medical team's decision to stop treating his wife Jo, who died at General Hospital last February.

Paul Heath’s wife Jo, who died after doctors withdrew her medical treatmentCredit: SWNS Paul claims doctors did so without the family’s consentCredit: SWNS Jo was treated at Northampton General HospitalCredit: SWNS

He compared the situation to being told by a mechanic to scrap your car after it blows a head gasket, stating that Jo had been “dehumanized.”

Jo, 70, was admitted to the hospital for a recurring bladder infection but was expected to recover.

However, just three weeks later, she passed away.

The family asserts they did not give permission for Jo’s treatment to be withdrawn, yet were informed that their consent was unnecessary.

Paul expressed, “I am filled with guilt, wondering if I should have done more to fight for her life.”

The former motorsports race engineer stated that medical staff informed him they were ceasing all treatment for Jo without providing an explanation and believes there were shortcomings in her care.

He is currently awaiting a coroner’s decision on whether an inquest into the circumstances surrounding Jo’s death will proceed.

He claims he has not yet received documentation detailing how or why the decision to discontinue Jo’s care was made.

He has pursued her case, believing the hospital may have committed gross negligence.

The father of two from Milton Malsor, Northants, stated: “I am worried that end-of-life decisions were made without appropriate checks, documentation, and protocols.

“Josephine was placed on the terminal pathway without any prior consultation with us.

“It was done so abruptly and insensitively that it left my son in tears.

“We were simply informed that it was happening, and there was nothing we could do about it.

“The irony of the debate surrounding the Assisted Dying Bill seems absurd to us when doctors can make these decisions without needing to explain or justify them.

“It appears you don’t need judges, forms, or due process – just take them to an NHS hospital, and they will make the decision for you.”

“It felt like taking your car to a mechanic with a blown head gasket and being told, ‘it’s not worth it, you might as well scrap it’ – it almost dehumanized her.

“But this was a human life they were dealing with.”

Jo had multiple sclerosis (MS) and was wheelchair-boundCredit: SWNS Paul and Jo pictured in 1979Credit: SWNS

Jo, who had multiple sclerosis (MS), was hospitalized with a UTI on January 30 last year.

She was “expected to be home within 48 to 72 hours,” according to Paul.

He remarked, “During her hospital stay, there were several indications about her potential discharge, so they believed she was recovering at certain points.

“She died on February 26, and her death certificate lists MS, atrial fibrillation, and hospital-acquired broncho-pneumonia as causes.”

MS is a chronic condition affecting the brain and spinal cord, resulting in issues with vision, balance, memory, and cognition.