An anorexic woman who died weighing just three stones told medics she was "desperate" for help before being repeatedly discharged, an inquest heard.
Nichola Lomax was 36 when she passed away from multiple organ failure in August last year.
In the months leading up to her death, Nichola and her family were trying to get help for her deteriorating physical health, Manchester Evening News reports.
GPs at Radcliffe Medical Practice didn't weigh her for two years between 2018 and 2020 despite losing weight, Rochdale Coroners Court heard yesterday.
Kelly Cooke, Nichola's sister, said: "She adored my two children and loved being them. She loved drawing and being creative with them. She would do anything for anyone else."
Kelly said her sister developed an eating disorder between the ages of 16 and 18.
She said: "We started noticing she wasn't eating. Then she went to bulimia, where she would eat and then be sick.
"She became very different and couldn't control it. We tried to help her and she booked into The Priory (at Cheadle) a couple of times.
"She was in and out of hospital seeing doctors and just trying to make herself better."
Coroner Joanna Kearsley was told Nichola made several visits to Bury's Fairfield General Hospital in the months before August 2020 - but was sent home rather than being admitted.
Her GPs made several referrals to The Priory to receive specialist treatment for her eating disorder, but these requests were declined as the Priory would not accept on the basis that she was too unwell and needed medical "stabilisation".
The Northern Care Alliance Trust, which runs Fairfield Hospital, agreed that there was a failure to raise awareness of and implement MARZIPAN guidance - national advice for clinicians assessing and managing the physical health of patients with eating disorders.
The trust has accepted that if the medical teams treating Nichola were aware of the guidance then her treatment would've been vastly different.
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Dr Bishri Azeer from the practice admitted to the coroner that medics there also did not look at the MARZIPAN guidance.
Community dietitians wrote to Nichola's GP in January 2020 informing them they were therefore unable to help because they do not offer the service for eating disorder patients.
Nichola weights just four stones by the end of July 2020.
She went to the A&E at Fairfield at the suggestion of the GP, because of her abnormal blood results.
Within 24 hours, Nichola descended rapidly into multiple organ failure and died on August 3.
Her sisters and the family did not see Nichola much during the last of her life because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kelly said: "Before that, she used to come round to see the children, or pop round in the morning. Throughout the pandemic, it was the worst I had ever seen her."
She said she saw Nichola during a visit in June 2020, adding: "We opened the door and Nichola came crawling on her hands and knees towards us. She couldn't stand up. She looked grey in the face and said she was going to pass away at any moment.
"Throughout 2020 there had been a number of occasions when Nichola had been admitted at A&E. She didn't tell me on all the occasions."
Kelly claims no one in the medical team mentioned getting psychiatric input or a specialist dietitian.
She said: "Nichola said she just couldn't stomach food. She tried to eat a sandwich while she was in A&E, but she only ate half of it.
"From June onwards, Nichola kept saying 'please help me, I'm going to die'. She thought she was coming towards the end of her life.
"She was admitted on June 1 and I next heard from Nichola the following day the hospital sent her home.
"I was shocked they were letting her out. When Nichola was told she was being discharged I went straight to the ward and demanded to see the psychologist.
"He said to me 'what do you want me to do?'. I said 'I want you to section her now' and he said 'she's mentally stable'."
Through tears, Kelly said: "I told him she's 4st 2lbs' and he said 'it's not my area' and I replied 'what, because she's not cutting her wrists and harming herself'. He just said he couldn't do anything more."
The Mirror Online contacted the Northern Care Alliance for a statement.
The inquest continues.
