'Our mum was murdered by NHS'

Midazolam and morphine administered hours before death

- by JACQUI DEEVOY

WHEN Barbara Clarke's beloved husband Charles died in July 2021, a terrible grief took hold of her.

The couple had been married for 55 years and, as Charles's carer since his stroke a few years previously, they were together pretty much 24 hours a day.

Son Steve Clarke, 58, says: "Mum, as you can imagine, was devastated. I, along with my six siblings, had never seen her so sad and she took to her bed. She was like this for a couple of days and we became concerned. We reckoned it was a case of Mum being broken-hearted. But, of course, we were worried that she may have been physically unwell too."

According to Steve's 56-year-old sister Deborah, until the death of their dad, Barbara was in great health. "Mum was incredible for her age - 76 - and was so full of energy, she'd have put many 40-year-olds to shame," Deborah smiles. "She would happily jump on a bus from her home in Feltham to Shepherds Bush Market to buy her meat and fish without a problem."

The fact that Barbara was always busy made it all the more surprising that she had taken to her bed. The family were worried, so made a decision on July 29, two days after she lost her husband, to call an ambulance to get Barbara checked out.

Steve recalled: "She had a slight temperature and there was a possibility she had a chest infection. Her SATs were good though, with oxygen levels at 99 per cent. I felt confident that she'd be fine and would be home in no time. How wrong I was!"