The family of a Cardiff teenager who weighed just six stone when he died from complications with diabetes while sleeping rough during freezing weather has criticised a hospital for allegedly asking him to leave the day before he died.
Aaron French-Willcox, who was 19 when he died and suffered from type 1 diabetes, died from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) while staying at a temporary encampment in a small wood near Cardiff bay on 13 February this year.
On Tuesday, an inquest in Pontypridd, Wales heard that the teenager was taken to University Hospital of Wales by taxi the day before his death after other residents at the encampment grew concerned about his condition, suspecting complications with his diabetes.
A council worker told the inquest he had been told by someone staying with French-Willcox that the teenager was allegedly asked to leave the hospital after he was aggressive to staff and refused treatment.
Cardiff & Vale University Health Board, which manages University Hospital of Wales, disputes this account and said the teenager left on own accord against medical advice after he was admitted to the hospital’s resuscitation unit. The board also appealed to the family to contact them with their concerns.
Following the inquest on Tuesday, the teenager’s family said staff should have realised he might be suffering from confusion, which is a symptom of DKA. They said they felt let down by staff.
“If they knew he had a history of diabetes, they should have recognised it. It’s sad. Someone should have stepped in a stopped him,” said Rhys French-Willcox, Aaron’s older brother, after the inquest.
At the the inquest, assistant coroner Nadim Bashir reached a conclusion of death by natural causes contributed to by self-neglect.
Summing up what Bashir called a “very, very sad case”, he noted French-Willcox had experienced a “difficult childhood and used drugs, had ADHD and of course, diabetes”.
The teenager had been a user of the synthetic cannabinoid spice and class A drugs, but no substances were found in his system in his postmortem.
French-Willcox had become homeless after suffering from family breakdown and substance abuse issues in the summer of 2017.
At the start of 2018, he was asked to leave temporary accommodation in Cardiff after he was caught taking spice on the premises and he starting living in a tent at an encampment in woodland by the River Taff in Cardiff Bay.
At around 3:30am on 13 February, people he was staying with at the encampment noticed that the teenager was cold, not breathing and did not have a pulse, so they called emergency services.
Both paramedics and the police officer who gave evidence at the inquest noted how “frail” and “skinny” the teenager was, when he was found in boxers and a sleeping bag. He was declared dead at the scene.
French-Willcox had struggled to control his type 1 diabetes and suffered from mental health and addiction problems.
He was described as “kind” and “good-hearted” by those who knew him.
“I’ll always remember him, he’s my little brother. He’s my number two,” his brother Rhys said.
French-Willcox was known to Cardiff council’s outreach and accommodation services and a council spokesperson said the authority had helped the teenager on a “number of occasions”.
The statement continued: “Unfortunately, because of their complex needs, many rough sleepers choose not to access accommodation. When this happens our dedicated outreach team works with them on a daily basis, encouraging them to engage with services and to take the first steps to coming off and staying off the streets for good.
“The council is constantly reviewing its services to ensure we are all doing everything we can to help people who find themselves homeless and sleeping rough. As a result of Aaron’s death we are piloting a new advocacy approach to help clients to make a successful transition into accommodation.”
A spokesperson for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “Our thoughts are with the family at this difficult time.
“We can confirm the patient was seen and admitted to the Resuscitation Unit at University Hospital of Wales in February. He was not refused treatment. The patient independently made the decision to leave the department against medical advice and was therefore not able to receive further assessment and care.
“If the family wish to discuss any aspects of his care we would ask them to contact our concerns team.”
Aaron French-Willcox is survived by a son, Theo.
