Coroner issues warning on drug accessibility after veterinary surgeon’s death

The passing of a “highly regarded” young veterinary surgeon has led a coroner to caution about the ease with which dangerous drugs can be obtained within the profession. An inquest concluded that John Ellis, 35, ended his own life by self-administering a lethal quantity of drugs. He had informed his former employers that these substances were for the euthanasia of a large dog. Simon Burge, the Assistant coroner for Hampshire, stated that “adequate controls” were not in place to prevent the misuse of such substances. He has urged the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to take action. In a report designed to prevent further deaths, Mr. Burge indicated that Mr. Ellis was provided with the drugs by his former employers “without any checks” and “without scrutiny”. He commented: “He was allowed to walk out of the veterinary surgery unaccompanied, with the drug, which he then used to take his own life.” Mr. Ellis died after administering the drugs on 6 November 2022. “Veterinary surgeons, such as the deceased, are able to easily access potentially lethal drugs without any adequate controls being put in place to prevent their mis-use”, Mr. Burge remarked. The coroner noted that Mr. Ellis had been “experiencing difficulties in some of his personal relationships, as well as financial worries, and considerable stress having recently changed jobs”. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons expressed that it was “very sorry” to learn of Mr. Ellis’s death and stated it would be “taking time to consider the coroner’s report and recommendations, and what additional steps we might take”. In a statement, it affirmed: “As a compassionate regulator, and via our Mind Matters Initiative, we are committed to improving the mental health and wellbeing of those in the veterinary team via training and resources, and by funding research in areas including suicide prevention.” It further added: “The Mind Matters Initiative’s research and ethos has fed into many areas of veterinary regulation including our voluntary Practice Standards Scheme and the standards we set for the professions.” For individuals impacted by the subjects discussed in this article, assistance and support are available at: bbc.co.uk/actionline or by calling 08000 155 947. Updates from BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight can be followed on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. This content is Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external links is also available.