Inquest into the death of Jenni Matters hears nurses at Flinders asked what her diet was to stay skinny

Jenni Matters was a young woman battling a severe eating disorder when nurses asked her secret to being skinny, her heartbroken father has told an inquest.

The heartbroken father of a young woman who died after a battling an eating disorder has told a court his daughter had been asked by nursing staff what diet she was on, and what her “secret to being skinny” was during her time in hospital.

Nursing graduate and advanced biomedical science student Jennifer Michelle Matters, known as Jenni, was a high achieving woman who loved spending time with her loved ones.

Jenni struggled with anorexia nervosa for two years, and sought help from her GP, psychologist, psychiatrist and dietitian following her diagnosis in 2019, along with multiple hospital admissions.

But in May 2021, Jenni, then 24 years old, ended her life, telling her loved ones she was simply “exhausted”. She weighed 29.5kg.

Her death is now being investigated in an inquest, with the Coroner’s Court on Monday morning hearing the extent of the young woman’s battle with her eating disorder.

Jenni Matters died after a battle with anorexia. Pictures: Facebook

Jenni Matters passed away in June 2021. Picture: Courts SA

Counsel assisting the Coroner Emma Roper told the court Jenni had hoped her death would “help others, even just one person” and reform the “whole system on how eating disorders are treated nationally”.

“This inquest will examine services provided to Jenni during her fight with anorexia nervosa and consider whether changes can be made to improve the delivery of eating disorder services in SA ,” Ms Roper said.

Giving evidence, Shaun Matters, Jenni’s father, told the court his daughter had been admitted to the Flinders Medical Centre multiple times, both voluntarily and at times involuntarily, during her battle.

He said when Jenni was admitted to hospital, she was treated like a burden on the staff.

“The hospital ward experience was very poor, because some of the staff lacked empathy for mental health (patients). You got the feeling sometimes that staff had the sense that if ‘the anorexic’ would leave, they would have space for ‘real patients’,” he said.

She was a high achieving, beloved young woman. Pictures: Facebook

Jenni had graduated with a nursing degree, and had started studying advanced biomedical science. Pictures: Facebook

“We experienced nurses that just didn’t understand an eating disorder and didn’t understand mental health in general.

“

I was there one day and the nurse said to Jenni ‘oh you’re so skinny’, and describing the eating disorder as skinny is a badge of honour. It’s not something you do with eating disorder patients.

“Another nurse asked for diet tips. She said ‘what’s your secret’?”

Mr Matters described a third occasion where one nurse referred to his daughter as “the anorexic in the corner that you need to watch eat”.

“We had to leave our daughter, that we loved dearly, and tell her it was the best place for her.

Shaun Matters, father of Jenni who died after a battle with anorexia, speaks outside the Coroners Court.

We cried the whole way home.

“What the staff don’t understand is that no one chooses this. It’s not a choice. It’s a disease. It’s a devastating illness. They need to know it’s a disease people have to try and recover from, which is what it makes it so difficult.”

He said funding was another major issue for people struggling with eating disorders.

“You can see the funding for other conditions, stroke, heart attack, cancer. If you’re suffering from cancer, the public system funds you for treatments you require. That’s wildly different with mental health and eating disorders, that you’re funded for a certain number of sessions with GAP payments, and you have to wait for psychology sessions because it's so hard to get into the private sector. It really leaves patients on their own.”

The inquest continues.