St James’s Hospital apologise for ‘not to standard’ care surrounding MF DOOM's death

MF DOOM whose real name was Dumile Daniel Thompson, died in October 2020 at Leeds’ St James Hospital at the age of 49. At the time of his passing, no details had been shared.

Jasmine Dumile, the wife of MF DOOM, has now revealed that her late husband passed away from a rare and severe reaction to blood pressure medication, due to a condition known as angiodema. She added that Dumile was prescribed angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to treat his high blood pressure, and he developed a severe reaction after two doses, which left him hospitalised at St James' Hospital in Leeds.

She said her husband had phoned her in distress from the hospital as his swelling was getting worse and he was having trouble breathing. Jasmine claimed Dumile had been unable to alert medical staff to his deteriorating condition as his 'buzzer' was out of reach. She believes negligence by the staff at St James’s Hospital contributed to her husband’s eventual death, specifically alleging that medical staff failed to check on her husband frequently, and were hours late administrating a medication.

The inquest heard that on 31 October Daniel had complained that he couldn't breathe and tried to get off his hospital trolley before he collapsed and suffered respiratory arrest.

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“I would like to offer our sincere condolences to Daniel’s family, friends and fans at this difficult time,” Hamish McLure, chief medical officer of the trust, said, as reported by The Guardian. “I apologise that the care he received was not to the standard we would expect. Following his sad death we undertook a serious incident investigation and the report has been shared with Daniel’s family."

In the inquiry, assistant coroner Janine Wolstenholme confirmed that Dumile’s care plan was not complete and that doctors were given a “false reassurance” about his condition. Wolstenholme, who described the death as a “rare event,” said that when Dumile complained that the swelling in his throat, tongues, and lips was getting worse, it should have triggered a request for a review at the hospital

“As a result we have put in place a number of actions and the wider learning from what happened is to be used as a teaching topic in a number of different clinical specialities," McLure continued. "We also support the coroner’s recommendation for clearer national guidance and awareness in this area.”