Hospital Starves to Death a Man With Down Syndrome, Didn’t Feed Him for 9 Days

International  |  Steven Ertelt  |   Oct 3, 2025   |   2:33PM   |  London, England

A 56-year-old man with Down syndrome suffered a preventable death after medical staff at an NHS hospital denied him food for nine days, his family said, highlighting what advocates decry as a devaluation of vulnerable lives in a system that too often fails those with disabilities.

Adrian Poulton was admitted to Poole Hospital in September 2021 following a fall at his care home that broke his hip. His condition initially improved, but doctors mistakenly marked him as “nil by mouth,” leaving him without nutrition during his stay.

By the time his relatives discovered the error, he was too weak to recover and died on Sept. 28, 2021, two weeks after admission. An internal hospital investigation confirmed that the lack of nutrition contributed to his death.

Poulton’s father, Derek, expressed shock at the oversight. “Not being medical, we just naturally thought he was having nutrition, a feed. But as it turns out, they were starving him.”

His sister, Lesley Bungay, recounted the heartbreaking final moments: “We were just so worried. He was really poorly. He did look at me and dad… He said to me, ‘Lesley, I don’t want to die.’ He knew he was going to die. It was just awful.”

"Terminal Illness," What Does it Mean?

By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.  Original publication 03/06/25.

I recently spoke at the British parliament about the experience with assisted suicide in America. The British parliament is currently debating the legalization of assisted suicide. The British assisted suicide bill, that is sponsored by Kim Leadbeater, is similar to an American style assisted suicide bill. 

While in England, I had the opportunity to visit with a physician who practises palliative medicine. She told me about a meeting with a patient and her family to explain that the patient has a terminal condition but she is not terminally ill.

In 2011, Dr Kenneth Stevens [pictured above], a long time radiation oncologist in Oregon, wrote an excellent article titled: "Terminal Illness: What does it mean?" In his article Dr Stevens writes about several of his patients who were diagnosed with a terminal illness.

The first story was a patient, Mr Jones, who was diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread to his brain. Dr Stevens explains:

He was not having any breathing problems and, except for headaches, the tumors in his brain were not causing any neurological or mental problems. Yet, his doctor had told him and his wife that he was "terminal."

"Any change to the law must be a matter for Parliament to decide"

Below is a media release from the Judiciary of England   and Wales regarding today's decision to reject a legal challenge to a legal prohibition on euthanasia.  "[A]ny change to the law must be a matter for Parliament to decide."  To read the original print version, click here.

Tony Nicklinson v Ministry of Justice

AM v Director of Public Prosecutions and others

High Court (Administrative Court)

16 August 2012

SUMMARY TO ASSIST THE MEDIA

The High Court (Lord Justice Toulson, Mr Justice Royce and Mrs Justice Macur) has today rejected challenges to the legal ban on voluntary euthanasia, and to the policy of the Director of Public Prosecutions in cases of assisted dying, brought by two men suffering from “locked in syndrome”.

The Court recognised that the cases raise profoundly difficult ethical, social and legal issues, but it judged that any change to the law must be a matter for Parliament to decide.