THE National Health Service does a tremendous job for many people, day in and day out. Yet sometimes that duty of care can fail.

The case of Jonathan Moir is a complicated one. This sports-loving young man from York was a promising law student who had everything to live for. Yet he died at the age of 23, after suffering a heart attack brought on by his refusal to eat.

Jonathan suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, a condition which in his case made him believe that food was harmful. By the time of his death, he weighed only five-and-a-half stone.

At his inquest, it was stated that ten doctors and five hospitals, including Bootham, York District Hospital and The Retreat, had been unable to save him.

Jonathan's parents believed that failures in care contributed to their son's death, and they demanded an internal investigation. Still not satisfied, they took their case to the health ombudsman.

The ombudsman ruled in their favour on a number of important points, and the Moirs eventually received an overdue apology from the Selby and York Primary Health Care Trust, which now has responsibility for mental health services in York.

Cases such as this are difficult and emotive, not least because patients suffering from OCD appear to be harming themselves. Yet that trait is itself a manifestation of their mental illness.

The local health services say they have learned from the mistakes made and that steps have already been taken to ensure similar failings do not occur again.

While none of this will bring Jonathan back, at least the Moirs can feel justified in their complaints, and can take some comfort from knowing that their son's case has led to improvements in the system.

Updated: 11:19 Friday, August 20, 2004