Description
Simon Howard, 66, had 'unstable diabetes' and epilepsy, research found Hospital bosses have issued an apology to Simon Howard's family A disgraced aristocrat whose family runs the featured manor house in Bridgerton has died days after taking too much insulin in hospital, according to an inquest.
Simon Howard, 66, died at York Hospital on February 27 last year. An inquest in Northallerton, North Yorkshire, found that he had "unstable diabetes" and epilepsy.
The heads of the hospital apologized to his family.
Months before his death in November 2021, Howard was granted a full acquittal from York Crown Court after a jury found he indecently assaulted a girl in 1984 but was unfit to stand trial due to injury. brain injury suffered in a fall in 2020.
He was taken to York Hospital on February 15, 2022 after a suspected stroke and was prescribed medication containing 24 units of insulin in the morning and 30 in the evening before being released the next day.
Mr. Howard had been the caretaker of Castle Howard.
The family's personal assistant, Christine Sadler, who helped Howard with his medication, told the inquest that a few weeks earlier his usual dose at home was 18 units in the morning and the same at night.
North Yorkshire Deputy Coroner Sarah Watson said it was unclear how the discrepancy in the amount of insulin prescribed occurred, particularly when a phone call was made from the hospital to Ms Sadler to consult with her.
When a member of the pharmacy team asked for the amount, an anonymous doctor dismissed the question.
Howard, a father of two, CEO of the company Castle Howard ran and who was married to Rebecca, was laid off and was prescribed the highest dose of insulin to continue taking.
He was found unconscious at his home on February 19 after suffering from hypoglycemic encephalopathy (extremely low blood sugar) and never recovered, dying in hospital on February 27.
The coroner gave a narrative conclusion, saying that Mr. Howard died "from the known exacerbating effects of excessive insulin administration on pre-existing natural disease and brain injury from a fall."
The investigation found that Howard may have been "drunk" when he fell down the stairs at his home in 2020, was found by his son, taken to hospital and left with permanent brain damage.
Mr. Howard had been the caretaker of Castle Howard, the backdrop for the hit movies and TV shows Bridgerton and Brideshead Revisited, and ruled the house for 30 years. But, after a family disagreement, he left the manor house and lived nearby at Welham Hall.
After the investigation, his relatives released a statement saying they were anxious to find out what happened to him.
We sincerely regret the circumstances of Mr. Howard's death and sincerely apologize to his family.
Ms Howard said: “I am grateful to the coroner for answering some of the questions we had about the circumstances of Simon's death.
“Simon was far from a healthy man – he suffered a traumatic brain injury following a fall at home in early 2020, had recently suffered a stroke and was struggling to control his type 1 diabetes – but when he was admitted to hospital, none of us imagined that he would not return home.
"At least now we have a better understanding of what happened."
The Howards of Castle Howard are descended from a younger son of the 9th Earl of Carlisle.
Following the inquiry, a spokesman for York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We sincerely regret the circumstances of Mr Howard's death and apologize unreservedly to his family."
“We take situations such as the events surrounding the death of Mr. Howard very seriously and all incidents of this nature are fully investigated to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
"This research resulted in significant learning and significant change, with new guidelines and protocols for all staff at our hospitals, which have since been implemented."
PA files
Pennsylvania
Access
