The parents of a teenage girl have spoken of their horror after a care nurse switched off her life support for nearly six minutes, leaving her "lifeless", before her death four months later. CCTV footage shows the nurse apparently pressing buttons for 10 seconds to shut down the machine keeping 13-year-old Joy Osundeko alive.
Her parents, Bisi and Mayo Osundeko, discovered the ventilator had been switched off and desperately tried to revive their daughter, who was not able to breathe independently. Joy survived the ordeal, but her family claim she was not the same afterwards and she died aged 14. The care company responsible admitted the ventilator was switched off by "accident", but denied the incident caused Joy's death or any injury.
Family discovers ventilator off
Joy, who had Down's syndrome and several serious medical conditions, required round-the-clock care at her family home in St Helens, Merseyside. On February 15, 2022, two carers arrived at about 8am to look after her while her father went to bed after caring for her overnight.
Around an hour later, Bisi entered her daughter's bedroom and discovered something was terribly wrong. Mayo recalled: "I was extremely concerned and so I jumped out of bed. It only took me approximately five seconds to jump down the stairs and run to the bed, but Joy was already completely lifeless. I grabbed the bag, removed the ventilator from the trachea, and manually provided oxygen to Joy myself. The nurse moved out of the way. I kept providing oxygen but Joy was like a baby doll. I was screaming her name. It took almost a minute before Joy started breathing again."
The CCTV footage shows the nurse appearing to twice press and hold a button before pressing the screen, with the machine making a sound as it shuts down. It remained off for almost six minutes before Bisi switched it back on. Mayo said: "The nurse told us initially that the ventilator had only been off for a few seconds, but when we watched the CCTV footage we were horrified and extremely upset to see the ventilator had been switched off for close to six minutes."
Health deteriorates after hospital stay
Joy spent nine days at Alder Hey Children's Hospital following the incident. Her parents say her health deteriorated dramatically. Mayo said: "Joy always liked throwing her hands and legs up in the air but her hands and legs, in particular her right leg, was not moving as much as it had done previously. Her leg became difficult to move. We also noticed in a change in her body and a deterioration in her general health. She no longer smiled."
Joy died on June 13, 2022, after having a stroke which caused brain stem death. The family launched legal action against Optima Health and Social Care Ltd, which employed the nurse. The company admitted breaching its duty of care over the ventilator being switched off, but denied that the incident caused Joy any injury or contributed to her death. It subsequently agreed an out-of-court damages settlement with the family.
Legal and regulatory response
A police investigation initially led to charges against the nurse and a criminal trial being listed. But the CPS confirmed in December 2025 that it would no longer pursue a prosecution. The family's subsequent request for an inquest was also rejected, with the coroner citing the time elapsed since Joy's death and the lack of vital evidence following her cremation. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is now investigating the incident.
Solicitor Maria Repanos, of Hudgell Solicitors, said: "Joy's parents have understandably been left absolutely devastated and today, more than four years on, they still have no explanation as to how and why this happened."
Joy's mum Bisi said: "We called her Joy because she brought it into our lives, and her smile could light up any room. What happened to her, and to us, was completely unacceptable. We feel completely failed by the system and we will keep fighting for answers as to how this could have happened. The pain of losing our daughter is unbearable. It can't be left here. We have never received any form of explanation from the nurse as to how she could possibly have made such a serious mistake. An explanation is the least we are owed."
A statement from Optima Health and Social Care Ltd said: "First and foremost, the management and staff of Optima Health and Social Care would like to express our sympathies to the family of Joy Osundeko, a former service user, who died tragically young aged 14. Optima Health and Social Care Ltd provides personal support for people with complex health and additional needs. Whilst in our care, on 15 February 2022, Joy's ventilator was mistakenly switched off. Optima asked parents to take Joy immediately to A&E for a full health checkup. This happened the following day. A subsequent MRI scan showed no evidence of lasting injury and Joy was discharged and sent home to continue to be supported by Optima's care team. The incident was immediately reported by us to our regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the local authority safeguarding team and NHS St Helens ICB, one of the main commissioners of or services. It was also the subject of a 3-year long police investigation. We have throughout and since cooperated openly, fully and with complete transparency with all external investigations into this incident. No action has been taken against Optima as a result of any of these investigations. Joy sadly died on 13 June 2022, some four months after this incident. There is no medical indication as far as we are aware that this incident contributed to, or was in any way, a cause of death. We believe the underlying life-limiting condition Joy had was connected to the cause of death. We recognise that no words can lessen the profound loss experienced by Joy's family, and our thoughts remain with them. The circumstances surrounding Joy's death have led us to reflect carefully on every aspect of our practice. We will happily talk to any family member of carer of any of our service users who has any concerns relating to this incident and will reassure them that that the safety, welfare and safeguarding of all our service users remains, and always will be, our top priority."
An NMC spokesperson told The Liverpool Echo: "We offer our sincere condolences and deepest sympathies to the Osundeko family for the tragic death of their daughter, Joy. We are investigating and the nurse is subject to precautionary restrictions on their practice while our enquiries continue. Those restrictions are reviewed regularly to ensure they remain appropriate for public protection. As proceedings are ongoing, we are unable to comment further on the case. However, we are committed to progressing our investigation swiftly and will keep the Osundeko family appropriately updated and informed."
