A mother is calling for an investigation into the failings at a major Queensland hospital after her autistic son died from starvation while under the care of its doctors.

Stewart Kelly, 45, died at Robina Hospital in August last year from starvation and dehydration during a 33-day admission.

His devastated mother, Ann Jeffery, spent the entirety of her son’s life as his primary carer, making sure he was able to live a happy and fulfilled life.

“How can someone starve to death in a hospital?” Kelly‘s mother Ann Jeffery told A Current Affair.

“He was allowed to reach that critical state within the hospital system. How can that be?”

Kelly was not critically ill when he was admitted to the hospital in May last year, but needed mental health treatment after developing anxiety which had sparked him to lose around 30lbs.

During his first visit to Robina Hospital, he was admitted for eight days before being discharged after showing some improvement.

However, Kelly’s struggles sadly continued over the coming months, and he was admitted for a second time in July after losing a further 62 lbs.

With his increasing weight loss and struggles to eat, Kelly’s family had expected him to be given mental health treatment and placed on fluids.

Sadly neither of these things happened and over the coming weeks, Kelly’s condition spiraled until he eventually died of starvation.

“He finally became incontinent,” said Mrs. Jeffery.

“We found him several times in a wet bed.”

Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

“We found him several times in a wet bed.”

Please provide a valid email address.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use
and Privacy Policy.

Thanks for signing up!
Never miss a story.

When the hospital finally decided to give her son a feeding tube it was all too late, and Kelly succumbed to starvation after 21 days in intensive care.

“He was cheated of 40 more years of his life,” said his mother.

“I felt the joy had gone out of my life. I felt that he had been left to die possibly because of his disability.”

On Kelly’s death certificate, autism was listed as a cause, along with multi-organ dysfunction, starvation, and dehydration.