Former Hellingly secretary found dead

Wendy Parcell, a resident at Hailsham House Care Home in New Road, died at the home on December 29 2019, an inquest heard.

The hearing at Eastbourne Town Hall last Thursday (April 1), was told Mrs Parcell, a former secretary, struggled with depression and dementia.

Her GP Dr Kerstin Edwards said she was ‘very active’ but her health ‘gradually declined’.

Nicoleta Aprodu, an agency nurse working at the home the morning of December 29, said she carried out the early morning procedure of giving out prescriptions to the residents.

She said Mrs Parcell was awake and ‘took the tablets well’ so she had no concerns.

However, shortly after this the emergency bell was rung because Mrs Parcell was found dead in her room, the inquest heard.

Catherine Brewster, the manager of Hailsham House, said, “She got the same meds that morning that she got every other morning.”

The post mortem report found Mrs Parcell had died from a cardiac arrest and although the drugs were taken just before this, they could not be proved as being the direct cause of her death.

East Sussex coroner Alan Craze ruled Mrs Parcell died of natural causes.

He said, “I don’t see how the drugs played a part because she was taking the same drugs and the same dose at the same time every day.

“I think she’s died of natural causes but it isn’t possible to prove what has caused that. I don’t think it’s been sufficiently proven that the anti-depressant medication caused her death.”