Rape victim died on hospital trolley after diet pill overdose

Parents demand 'answers' from hospital and call for tighter restrictions on DNP tablets

Bethany Shipsey's parents are calling for a crackdown on pills (Family Handout/PA Wire)

A young woman receiving mental health treatment after being raped died on a hospital trolley having overdosed on diet pills, her parents have said.

Bethany Shipsey, 21, died five hours after taking illegal fat-burning pills, which she bought online, in February.

Her parents are now demanding “answers” from the people who were caring for her.

Despite being rushed to hospital within an hour of consuming the tablets, Ms Shipsey was moved between various trolleys before going into cardiac arrest, around four hours after arriving at A&E in Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

Her parents said care was not good enough. Her mother, Carole Shipsey, told the Mirror there "was inadequate care” and that her daughter was “not seen as a priority”.

Father Doug Shipsey said there was "no privacy and dignity whatsoever".

They claimed it took an hour and a half for a doctor to see their daughter, even though her heart was beating 190 times a minute.

Ms Shipsey had recently left a mental health unit, where she was receiving care after being raped.

Staff at the facility had found her in possession of some pills, which were confiscated, but she apparently managed to keep some.

The pills contained the industrial substance DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol), for which Ms Shipsey’s parents have called for tighter controls.

The compound is often marketed as a weight loss drug but is described as having “an extremely damaging effect on the body” by the NHS. It can cause fever, nausea, headaches and an irregular heartbeat, among other symptoms.

Despite their illegality, an internet search by The Independent found pills containing DNP for sale on fitness-style websites.

Mr Shipsey said: "If there were some licensing controls on the substance itself at least it would restrict the ability of these unscrupulous people to obtain this material who put this into capsules and sell on the internet."

"If the chemical were licensed you'd have to apply for a licence to produce it, sell it, handle it, and for someone to buy and use it."

A Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust spokesman said: "This is a tragic case and our condolences are with the family.

"As is common practice with incidents of this nature, we have undertaken a full internal review of this case.

"The results of this have been shared with the family and we have since met with them to answer their questions.”

"At this point the Trust cannot comment any further until after the Coroner's inquest."

An inquest is due in January next year.

Additional reporting by agencies