Exeter ME patient's hospital care changed after campaign

A hospital has updated a feeding plan for a woman with severe myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

Alice Barrett, 25, is at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RDE) and cannot sit upright and feed herself.

The change by the RDE came after her family raised concerns she could die from starvation if her treatment was not changed.

Ms Barrett's father Mark told BBC News: "We are so pleased they have listened and we hope it is not too late."

Ms Barrett was diagnosed with ME in November 2020 and had the disease moderately, before a major deterioration at the end of April 2022.

She was admitted to the RDE on 10 February.

Her family said they had taken expert advice which said Ms Barrett should be tube fed lying down.

They urged the RDE Trust to deviate from a policy of tube feeding patients at an angle of 30 degrees to avoid choking.

The trust said in a statement: "Our complete focus continues to be to provide Alice with the safest possible care.

"Our clinical teams have worked closely with Alice and her family to carefully update her feeding plan, and we will be monitoring this closely over the coming days."

The family said on a petition page: "The trust's guidelines state that you have to be at least 30 degrees for NG tube feeding.

"They have now adapted their guidelines which should help Alice tolerate being feed.

"Hopefully, the feeding plan we have now got in place Alice will be able to tolerate and she will become nutritionally stronger."

Mr Barrett said: "We have gone through 25 days of hell, I am physically and emotionally exhausted.

"We are so pleased that they have listened and we hope it is not too late."

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].