Retired nurse trapped in 14th story flat with no care package as she fights for life

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A retired nurse whose cancer spread and became incurable because she waited so long for treatment is facing a new fight for care as she lies dying. Nearing the end of her life and struggling with advanced stages of cancer - now in her brain and several other organs - Helen Storrie, 71, has been abandoned in her 14th storey flat with no care package.

And it even took five weeks to get her the medical help she needs at home. Helen Storrie has known for some time that she was “living on borrowed time”. From the decision to treat cancer to that treatment beginning should take no more than 31 days.

But Helen, 71, from Motherwell, was kept waiting for five months until May 2023 to begin treatment for stage four cancer. Great-granny Helen, a nurse for 40 years, believes her cancer worsened because of the delay in chemotherapy treatment starting.

She said: “I had 25 letters in the five months I waited, cancelling appointments or changing them. These delays cannot have helped my chances.” While Helen kept reasonably well for about a year after the treatment began, the cancer has now spread with a vengeance and she has been told more chemotherapy would be futile.

From being reasonably active Helen can barely do more than shuffle around her fourteenth storey flat, clutching the walls and doors for support, as she takes the short few steps from her bedroom to living room or bathroom. From a spot of cancer in her lung, it has metastasised to her bladder and now she has inoperable lesions on her brain.

She said: “The consultant came to see me and said a possible option was to put me on chemotherapy and radiotherapy but she said it woud be a complete waste of resources and that they would rather spend the money on someone who could improve with the treatment.”

On August 11 Helen called her son Darran Murray, 47, in the early hours of the morning saying she was not feeling too well. He said: “I could see a change in her within 10 minutes of being there. Her left eye looked as if it was going to come out the socket and her face was distorted as if she was having a seizure.”

She had another seizure while waiting on the ambulance and a further two as it sped her to Wishaw General followed by a third on arrival at the hospital. But just two days later the hospital tried to discharge her even though she had a urinary tract infection, was extremely frail and had no care package at home.

Repeated attempts to discharge her followed without any care being in place and having already been told she had only about three months to live. Only because of the interventions of Darran and Helen’s younger sister Mirelle Mackie, 52, was she able to remain until care was arranged.

She was discharged on August 22 but the promised long term care was removed on September 13 - because the care team insisted she was capable of living independently. Helen cannot even get out of a chair on her own and is unable to perform basic tasks like personal hygiene or cooking.

Darran said: “My mum is clearly not fit to look after herself.” Since then Darran has been trying to juggle work and caring for his own children with looking after his mum with the help of his aunt and his mum’s elderly partner, who does not live with her.

Darran said: “My mum is terminally ill but still no-one wants to help her. Until last week she’d had no health input at all since she was discharged - almost five weeks. That day she called me roaring and greeting begging me to take her to the hospice saying ‘I can’t take any more’.”

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Darran called the GP surgery and district nurses were sent out and are now managing her pain. Helen commented: “I have been let down all the way since my cancer was diagnosed. That’s the NHS’ thanks for all my years of service as a nurse.”

Karen Workman, Adult Social Work senior manager, University Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire, said: “When Ms Storrie was discharged from hospital, she was assessed by our Home Assessment Team and occupational therapy which resulted in appropriate support equipment being provided.

“She was also assessed by the team’s physiotherapist and the Assistive Technology Team to identify any further support she may require. Throughout the assessment period of almost one month, the team working with Ms Storrie were able to observe her day-to-day abilities and further support was not deemed as required.

“Ms Storrie and her family were provided with the Social Work access number. I’d urge her to contact us if her circumstances have changed so we can reassess her care needs.”

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