A hospital apologises after an elderly patient subject to a “nil by mouth” (NBM) order is reportedly given food and later dies. The BBC reports the case involves Jacqueline Frehe, 97, who is recorded as being NBM at the hospital, but still receives food before she dies.
The available reports do not provide extensive detail on the medical circumstances around the death or the specific chain of events that led to food being provided despite the NBM instruction. The apology is presented as an acknowledgement of the failure to follow the patient’s care plan. While the BBC outlines the patient’s age and the basic sequence—NBM status, food given, then death—other public details in the provided material are limited, and no differing claims about core facts are included here.
