A YOUNG woman 'ate herself to death' after her rare eating disorder was not effectively treated. 
 
 Kirsty Derry, aged 23, was found dead in her supported living flat at Victoria Mews, Stone. 
 
 An inquest heard she was just two-years-old when she was diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome, where sufferers experience a constantly high appetite. 
 
 It led to her diabetes and when she died her Body Mass Index was 42.1 when a normal BMI is 19 to 25. 
 
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 Kirsty had been sent to Victoria Mews, in Altona Close, for help with the condition in October 2012 but the facility has since shut. 
 
 Her mother Julie Fallows told the hearing: "When she went there I expected one-to-one support between 8am to 10pm. When she first arrived, there were alarms fitted to the cupboards and fridge. But at some point that technology was removed without our knowledge. Often we couldn't find any staff when we visited. 
 
 "I became aware Kirsty had no idea of portion sizes but I thought her cooking was regulated. But in 2013 her changes in weight were obvious. Her legs were swollen, she could hardly walk or get shoes on her feet. I expressed my concerns. 
 
 "I felt Kirsty should have been removed from Victoria Mews immediately. But nothing was done right up until her death. 
 
 "Kirsty was deemed mentally capable of making her own choices but how can that be if she could eat herself to death? Social workers handed her a death sentence by suggesting Kirsty go to Victoria Mews." 
 
 Zoe Marshall, social worker for Staffordshire County Council, told the hearing Kirsty was annoyed by the alarms beeping and these were turned off for periods of time. 
 
 The court also heard Kirsty did not believe she was unwell and had previously refused to go to hospital. 
 
 Denise Nettleton, a support worker, said: "I felt she was harming herself by overeating and our hands were tied." 
 
 Lee Tudor, manager of Victoria Mews at the time, said robust assessments were done around Kirsty's capacity to understand. 
 
 He said a register of service users had now been compiled identifying people with Kirsty's condition and that lessons had been learned. 
 
 The county council also confirmed it had put in place a learning review to understand the condition and the procedure for requesting assessments under the Mental Health Act. 
 
 Dr Paul Hiley said Kirsty died on July 20, 2013 from pulmonary oedema, meaning fluid in her lungs prevented her from breathing. 
 
 Staffordshire South coroner Andrew Haigh recorded a conclusion that Kirsty died of the consequences of a natural condition that was not effectively addressed. 
 
 He added: "Hopefully appropriate lessons have been learned. The degree of her capacity seems to have deteriorated. She could understand matters but controlling herself having taken that information in, was a different matter." 
 
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 Get the afternoon update through our new app: The Sentinel evening edition ||||| A UK woman who died from a rare eating disorder that left her with a constantly high appetite was not properly treated, her mother told an inquest. 
 
 Kirsty Derry was 23 when she died on July 20, 2013, and was diagnosed at age 2 with Prader-Willi Syndrome, The Sentinel reported. 
 
 According to her mother, Julie Fallows, Derry was sent to a facility in October 2012 that had alarms on the cupboards and fridge, but at some point the technology was removed without her knowledge. 
 
 "I became aware Kirsty had no idea of portion sizes but I thought her cooking was regulated. But in 2013 her changes in weight were obvious. Her legs were swollen, she could hardly walk or get shoes on her feet. I expressed my concerns,” Fallows told The Sentinel. 
 
 During the inquest, Fallows claimed that her daughter was handed a “death sentence” when social workers suggested she go to the facility, Victoria Mews. According to The Sentinel, the coroner concluded her death was from the consequences of a natural condition that was not effectively addressed. 
 
 Derry died from pulmonary edema, meaning fluid in her lungs prevented her from breathing. Her Body Mass Index (BMI) was 42.1. A normal BMI is 19 to 25. 
 
 Click for more from The Sentinel. ||||| A woman with a rare genetic condition that made her constantly hungry ate herself to death after care home staff removed locks on her fridge and cupboards, an inquest has heard. 
 
 Kirsty Derry, 23, suffered from Prader-Willi syndrome, which causes a compulsive desire to eat. 
 
 She died from heart failure after putting on seven stone in nine months when she moved out of the family home and into assisted living accommodation. 
 
 An inquest heard that she had persuaded staff at Victoria Mews in Stone, Staffs, to remove special alarms that had been put on the cupboards to restrict her eating. She weighted 19 stone when she died. 
 
 Her mother, Julie Fallows, 50, had written to the local council just a month before her death, warning them that she feared for her daughter's life. 
 
 "Social workers handed her a death sentence by suggesting Kirsty go to Victoria Mews," she said. 
 
 Ms Fallows, from Heath Hayes, Staffs, said her daughter had been diagnosed with the condition when she was two and that she had always managed to restrict her food intake. 
 
 When Miss Derry decided that she wanted to live independently, she was keen to support her and thought she would be "safe and happy" in a supported living environment. 
 
 
 
 Julie is devastated at the death of her daughter, Kirsty (Caters) 
 
 But although Miss Derry did not understand that she was unwell or the direct impact her eating had on her health, she was deemed to have the mental capacity to make her own decisions. 
 
 She had a package of support from various agencies but the carers at Victoria Mews were unable to make decisions on her behalf or control what she ate. 
 
 The hearing was told that that Miss Derry was annoyed by the cupboard alarms beeping and that as a result they were turned off for periods of time. 
 
 Denise Nettleton, a support worker, said: "I felt she was harming herself by overeating and our hands were tied." 
 
 Several meetings were held to discuss the situation but her mother said little was changed. 
 
 Ms Fallows told the inquest that she should have been removed from the facility as soon as it became apparent that her health was failing. 
 
 "Kirsty was deemed mentally capable of making her own choices but how can that be if she could eat herself to death?" she said. 
 
 "When she went there I expected one-to-one support between 8am to 10pm. 
 
 "When she first arrived, there were alarms fitted to the cupboards and fridge. But at some point that technology was removed without our knowledge. Often we couldn't find any staff when we visited." 
 
 Ms Fallows said that the changes in her daughter's weight were obvious and that she immediately expressed concerns but that no action was taken. 
 
 After the inquest, she revealed that her Miss Derry had often waited for agency staff to take her shopping, rather than her usual carers, so she could buy want she wanted. 
 
 She said she loved Cornettos and Double Deckers. 
 
 "They shouldn't have let her do that - not only did she have Prader-Willis, but she was also diabetic," she said. 
 
 "When she was younger I'd always load up her plate with loads of vegetables or salad - that way it still seemed like a big meal to her and kept her busy, but it wasn't unhealthy. 
 
 "As soon as she moved into supported living her diet went down the drain and her blood sugar went through the roof. 
 
 "It really started going downhill when they removed the assisted technology; that was the beginning of the end." 
 
 "As soon as she moved into supported living her diet went down the drain and her blood sugar went through the roof" 
 
 Leigh Tudor, service director for Creative Support, which ran Victoria Mews, told the inquest that robust assessments had been undertaken concerning Miss Derry's capacity to understand. 
 
 On July 10, just ten days before her death, it was agreed that she should be assessed under the Mental Health Act in relation to her capacity to understand her condition. 
 
 The county council said it had put in place a learning review to understand the condition and the procedure for requesting assessments under the Mental Health Act. 
 
 Alan White, cabinet member for social and health care said: “This was a tragic incident and we want to extend our sympathies to Kirsty’s family. 
 
 "A comprehensive learning review has been undertaken as a result of this, and we have already acted on the recommendations contained within it. 
 
 "We will continue to work closely with our partner agencies to ensure we are sharing information and effectively addressing any issues as they arise. 
 
 "We have also reviewed all of the adults in Staffordshire with Prader-Willi Syndrome to ensure they continue to be offered the support they need, and that any assessed care needs are being addressed.” 
 
 • One in 10 Scottish boys are morbidly obese 
 
 Miss Derry moved into Victoria Mews in October 2012 and died in July 2013 from pulmonary oedema, meaning fluid in her lungs prevented her from breathing. 
 
 Andrew Haigh, Staffordshire South coroner, concluded that she had died of the consequences of a natural condition that was not effectively addressed. 
 
 He said: "Hopefully appropriate lessons have been learned. The degree of her capacity seems to have deteriorated. She could understand matters but controlling herself having taken that information in, was a different matter." 
 
 Prader-Willi syndrome is caused by a genetic defect on chromosome number 15, which happens purely by chance. 
 
 The condition affects no more than one in every 15,000 children born in England and symptoms can also include restricted growth, learning difficulties and behavioural problems.
– A young Englishwoman has died from overeating and may not have been properly treated for her unusual eating disorder, Fox News reports. Kirsty Derry lived at an assisted living home that had alarms on the fridge and cupboards to stop her from gorging. But the alarms were taken away in January 2013, and seven months later, Derry was dead at the age of 23, the Telegraph reports. "Of course I wanted her to stay at home with me, it's a mother's instinct—but I wanted her to be happy and have what she wanted," her mother, 50-year-old Julie Fallows, said at an inquest into her daughter's death. "I thought she'd be safe and happy in a supported living environment." Doctors diagnosed Derry at age 2 with Prader Willi Syndrome, which gave her a constantly strong appetite. She developed diabetes and was later sent to the facility, Victoria Mews, in 2012. But the fridge and cupboard alarms there were removed for periods after Derry complained about them, according to testimony at the inquest, the Sentinel reports. At Victoria Mews, the 4-foot-8 woman's weight ballooned from 175 pounds to 266 pounds as she gorged on food including ice cream and chocolate. Her official cause of death: pulmonary edema, or lung fluid that stopped her from breathing. "Hopefully appropriate lessons have been learned," says a coroner who concluded her that her condition was not properly addressed. The care facility has since shut down.