THE mother of a severely epileptic teenager who died in a residential home has criticised failures in her care.

At the time of her death, Zoe Conroy, 18, was suffering up to 250 seizures a night. She also had seizures and “absent” moments during the day.

As a consequence she needed constant monitoring. Her mother Jillian Conroy, 48, from Shoebury, claims the residential home she was placed in by Southend Clinical Commissioning Group was not equipped to deal with someone with such a severe disability.

Miss Conroy said: “Zoe had amnio immune thrombocytopenia, a rare disorder due to an antibody that passes from the mother to the baby. It affects blood clotting in the baby. When she was born she was in intensive care for two-and-a-half weeks.

“When she was a few months old she started having seizures that gradually got worse.”

Zoe attended mainstream primary school, but a lack of understanding of her condition led to conflict with teachers.

Miss Conroy, who is also mum to Jadene, 28, said: “Zoe would have absent moments and the teachers would just say she wasn’t concentrating. She would get up and do things but she was unaware of what she was doing. They were constantly telling her off.”

Zoe was happy during a brief spell at St Helen’s Primary School, in North Road, Westcliff, but soon it was time to move to secondary school. A request for a place at Cedar Hall School, in Thundersley, was turned down and Zoe was moved to Lancaster School, in Prittlewell Chase, Westcliff.

Her condition worsened and she was eventually excluded after attacking a teacher.

Miss Conroy said her family were given just ten days a year respite care by Southend social services.

She said: “When Zoe reached 17 she started talking about wanting to leave home so myself and her social worker started making plans. I wanted her to go to a place in Westcliff that was being built which offered children with disabilities the chance of an independent life.

“The family broke down before that could happen though. Zoe became very violent, hurting our dog and smashing her head into glass. I was terrified and didn’t know what more I could do.”

For her own safety Zoe was moved into the My Care, in London Road, Southend. She died alone after suffering a seizure during a staff handover on May 20, 2014 - just three months after leaving home.

Miss Conroy said: “The staff admitted to me they weren’t equipped to deal with someone like Zoe. I never left her because I knew what could happen.

“I feel let down by everyone. I don’t feel I ever asked for much. Getting appropriate care for a child, is that asking too much? I want people to know she was such a fun-loving girl and I miss her so much because we were together all the time.”