Blackburn widower to sue hospital for ‘negligence’ after wife’s death

 A widower is to sue Royal Blackburn Hospital following the death of his wife.

Maureen McDonald waited hours to see a hospital doctor after she fell ill during chemotherapy treatment.

Her husband Alan said: “I’m suing the hospital for medical negligence. Cancer patients can’t go through this.”

He said that she had needed antibioltics urgently.

“They have a one hour window to survive. It’s the pits.”

Mrs McDonald’s death prompted a serious untoward incident review at Royal Blackburn Hospital after her husband Alan raised concerns about her care.

The report produced by the hospital trust found: 

• Two nurses had failed to recognise how ill she was.
• The Medical Assessment Unit, which had been expecting her, was not told she had been taken to the A&E department instead.
• She only saw a doctor after a delay of almost three hours when Mr McDonald called the chemotherapy unit himself.
• She was given penicillin when she was allergic to the drug.

The trust which runs the hospital said a number of actions had been implemented following the review to recognise similar patients.

Mr McDonald said he was speaking out after two other cancer patients had also suffered from miscommunication problems when taken for treatment at the hospital.

Mrs McDonald, 59, of Honeyhole, Blackburn, had been diagnosed with brain and lung cancer last December.

Just weeks later, after starting chemotherapy, she complained of sickness and chest pain and an ambulance was booked to take her to the Medical Assessment Unit at the hospital.

The report said when paramedics arrived they decided her symptoms were so serious she should be taken to A&E.

However staff in the emergency department failed to make cancer specialists at the hospital aware that Mrs McDonald had been admitted, and because the seriousness of her condition had not been recognised, there was a delay in prescribing her antibiotics, the report added.

Mr McDonald said: “They kept her in A&E for hours, in that time a senior staff nurse missed vital signs.

“She never received antibiotics or pain relief.

“I had to contact the cancer unit myself. The cancer nurse wanted to know why she was in A&E, not the medical assessment unit.

“The cancer specialist came rushing down and got her straight into resus.”

The report said that when the oncologist came down to A&E, the consultant in the emergency department did not have Mrs McDonald’s notes available, but the two consultants agreed that antibiotics should be prescribed.

Mrs McDonald was given Tazocin, but she had a penicillin allergy, and doctors did not check whether the drug would be suitable before administering it, the report said.

Mr McDonald said: “She had an allergy wristband on, but they never asked her what she was allergic to.”

Mrs McDonald was later transferred to the Medical Assessment Unit, but she passed away in the early hours of the following morning.

The report into her death has made several recommendations, including that feedback should be given to the triage nurse regarding the recognition of seriously unwell patients, and nurses should be made aware of the importance of early treatment.

It said: “It is unlikely that even if Mrs M had received antibiotics within one hour of her attendance at the emergency department that she would have survived however it is very difficult to know for sure.”

Mr McDonald, who is now taking legal action against the Trust, said he was very concerned that two other patients had died under similar circumstances since his wife’s death.

Blackburn Coroner’s Court has previously heard how retired milkman Roy Wildman, who lived in Lime Street, Nelson, died in May after it took two days for staff in A&E to inform cancer doctors of his arrival when it should have been done immediately.

Another inquest heard that Shirley Banks, 67, who lived in Constable Avenue, Burnley died within a few days of Mrs McDonald.

She had been diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus and was undergoing chemotherapy when she was taken to hospital as an emergency admission. She died on New Year’s Eve.

Blackburn coroner Michael Singleton said he would be making a report to East Lancashire NHS Hospitals Trust relating to the triage of patients suffering from cancer, as he believed there remained a risk of further fatalities following an inquest into Mrs Banks’s death.

Mr McDonald said: “I was told this would never, ever happen again, because procedures are now in place.”

Chris Pearson, Chief Nurse at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are very sorry about Mr McDonald’s loss and our sympathies remain with him.

“We have met with Mr McDonald regarding the care his wife received at the Trust and the issues that he has raised with us are not the same as those he has indicated.

“A number of actions have and are being implemented to ensure the issues Mr McDonald raised with us do not happen again - this includes education and change of procedures within the Emergency Department so patients like Mrs McDonald are recognised and highlighted early for IV antibiotic treatment.”

This article is courtesy of the Lancashire Telegraph.

Doctors and nurses 'are ill-equipped to help people cope with death'

Thousands of patients are “dying badly” in NHS hospitals every year, experts have said, as a major investigation into end-of-life care in England reveals a widespread lack of training among hospital staff in the treatment and support of dying patients and their families.

The Royal College of Physicians said they had found “significant variation” in the standard of care provided.

While many hospitals performed well, only around a quarter of NHS trusts had mandatory training in care of the dying in place for doctors and nurses, and three quarters of hospitals had no palliative care professionals on duty at weekends.

Major problems with communication between care staff and patients were also identified. Healthcare professionals were found to be effectively recognising when patients were entering their final days of life, but did not tell the patient in more than half of cases in which the patient was capable of discussing it.

Friends and families were told that a patient was nearing the end of their life on average 31 hours before death, but a quarter of bereaved relatives said they did not feel they had been involved at all in decisions about their family member’s care.

The findings come from an audit of case notes of 6,580 patients who died in 149 hospitals in England last May, a questionnaire of nearly 1,000 bereaved relatives or friends, and information provided by NHS trusts on training in and availability of end-of-life care within their organisation.

Around half of the nearly 500,000 deaths in England every year happen in hospitals, and despite the UK recently topping a global list of the best countries to die in, experts said that the findings of this latest study revealed “unacceptable” failings.

“Too many patient are dying badly in our hospitals when we know how to care for them well,” said Professor John Ellershaw, director of the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute, which collaborated with the RCP on the study. “If some hospitals can provide good outcomes in care then all hospitals can.”

Dr Kevin Stewart, a clinical director with RCP, who led the study, said that he was “deeply concerned” that some hospitals were letting down patients and their families.

“In particular, communication with patients and their families is generally poor,” he said. “It is disappointing that hospitals don't seem to recognise this as an important issue, not just for those experiencing this in their own lives, but for the wider public. Everyone wants to know that if they are in the same situation, their needs and those of their families, friends and those important to them will be met, with clinically appropriate treatment, sensitivity and compassion.”

Simon Chapman, of the National Council for Palliative Care, said that part of the problem lay with health professionals and the wider public treating death as “taboo”.

“They don’t find it easy to talk about these things, and a large number of doctors have had no recent training at all in end of life care,” he said. “Although it should be core business for hospitals it isn’t being viewed as such.”

Heather Richardson, national clinical lead at Help the Hospices, said that some health professionals “lack confidence and competence to care well for people who are approaching the end of their life”.

“In a civilised, modern society everyone should be able to expect high quality care at the end of their life,” she said.

Responding to the study, the care minister Norman Lamb said: “All patients should be receiving high quality and compassionate care in their last days of life – there can be no excuse for anything less. “This report shows evidence of very good care but I am seriously concerned about the variations in care, and improvements are needed in the way some clinicians communicate with patients and support families. I am determined this should improve. To help address these issues, we are working on plans to support all services in giving everyone in the last days and hours of life, and their families, the good quality, compassionate care they deserve.”

Case study

Linda Aitchison’s husband Neil died two years ago, at the age of 44, from malignant melanoma, at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital.

“The care at Wolverhampton within the specialist Deanesly cancer ward was absolutely amazing, but the problem for us came a week before Neil died, when he was admitted to a general medical ward.

The things that happened have really stayed with me and caused a great deal of trauma. They weren’t huge incidents of negligence, just little instances where we felt we were overlooked, we were invisible and not treated with compassion and dignity: Neil fell from his bed, he was refused a wash, he had his notes lost.

When we arrived we had a five-hour wait for a doctor, in which I repeatedly asked for a drink of water, to be told he couldn’t have one, that would be up to a doctor. When I asked when that would happen, the response was: ‘not a clue’.

Neither myself nor Neil were under any illusion that he had much longer to live. I find that treatment very hard to understand

It was heartbreaking. At one point, my daughter, who was 13 at the time, and I had to take Neil to give him a wash ourselves. He could barely stand. She knew her dad wasn’t going to be around much longer. It was very upsetting.”

This article is courtesy from The Independent.

Thousands die of thirst and poor care in NHS

At least 1,000 hospital patients are dying needlessly each month from dehydration and poor care by doctors and nurses, according to an NHS study.

The deaths from acute kidney injury could be prevented by simple steps such as nurses ensuring patients have enough to drink and doctors reviewing their medication, the researchers say.

Between 15,000 and 40,000 patients die annually because hospital staff fail to diagnose the treatable kidney problem, a figure that dwarfs the death toll from superbugs like MRSA.

The report comes less than a year after the NHS watchdog NICE was forced to issue guidelines on giving patients water after it found that 42,000 deaths a year could be avoided if staff ensured the sick were hydrated.

It highlighted how old and vulnerable patients can be left on wards without fluids, quickly becoming too weak from dehydration to request a drink from nurses, which hastens their deterioration.

The latest research said the condition, often called “the silent killer” because it goes unnoticed by medical staff, may affect as many as one in seven hospital patients and costs the NHS £1 billion a year.

The infection causes a loss of kidney function and can develop very quickly. It can occur in people already ill from conditions such as heart failure or diabetes, and those admitted to hospital with infections.

It can also develop after major surgery, such as some kinds of heart surgery, because the kidneys can be deprived of normal blood flow during the procedure. Severe dehydration is one of the main causes of the condition.

“Many of the failings identified in the report related to basic medical care, such as checking of electrolytes, performance of physiological observations and adequate senior review,” the researchers found.

The condition, which costs the NHS more than breast, lung and bowel cancer combined, is responsible for nearly eight times as many deaths as the superbug MRSA at its peak, according to the study commissioned by NHS Improving Quality.

The study, carried out by kidney disease experts and Insight Health Economics, found that the condition is five times more prevalent in English hospitals than previously thought.

Report co-author Professor Donal O'Donoghue, consultant renal physician at Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We know that at least a thousand people a month are dying in hospital from acute kidney injury due to poor care.

"These deaths are avoidable. This is completely unacceptable and we can't allow it to continue. Good basic care would save these lives and save millions of pounds for the NHS.

"Doctors and nurses need to make elementary checks to prevent AKI. In general, people who are having surgery shouldn't be asked to go without water for longer than two hours.

"Sometimes that is unavoidable but then medical staff need to check their patients are not becoming dehydrated. They also need to be aware that some common medications increase the risk of AKI."

Joyce Robins from Patient Concern said: "These figures are really alarming. Too often we are hearing of cases where patients, especially the elderly, are not being properly hydrated - about cases where patients are left begging for water and being told to wait."

She said: "Some cases can be complex but in too many others we are seeing basic care being neglected. Ensuring patients are fed and hydrated is the very minimum we should be able to provide in the 21st century NHS - this is a deeply disturbing refection of the care being provided."

The infection usually develops before patients enter hospital and is often down to problems like dehydration, or an adverse reaction from seriously ill patients to over-the-counter medicines such as ibuprofen, as a result of their condition.

The study into the economic impact of the condition in England found it was present on admission to hospital in nearly 75 per cent of cases. The authors said efforts to prevent infection will need to focus on primary and community care.

Once in hospital, the infection can easily be diagnosed by a simple blood test or urine measurement, both of which are standard practice, but clinical staff are not always sure what warning signs to look for, the researchers found.

After being diagnosed, the condition can often be treated by addressing the underlying problem, for example by ensuring the patient stays hydrated or by switching their medication, with only 10 per cent of patients requiring dialysis.

Older people are particularly vulnerable to the infection but younger patients are also affected. The study found that one in 25 of all hospital inpatients under the age of 40 develops the condition.

Retired maths teacher Maura Murray, 72, from Epsom, Surrey, endured a nightmare ordeal after becoming dehydrated in hospital and developing the condition.

“I’d had an operation for a broken leg but I was so ill for ten days after being discharged that my husband took me to accident and emergency at Epsom, where they recognised my kidneys weren’t functioning properly,” she said.

The grandmother was put on a drip that fed fluids intravenously. But when weekend staff were unable to change her canula for the intravenous tube, she was left to dehydrate on the ward.

“They kept saying to me, ‘you must drink’ but I was vomiting so much I couldn’t keep anything down. I was trying but I couldn’t do anything about it and no one was noticing,” she said.

“When you’re feeling very poorly, you haven’t got the energy to shout and fight them, you can’t do anything about it.”

The result was that Mrs Murray’s kidney function dipped to just 10 per cent, a life-threatening level. After treatment, her function is now at 19 per cent, which has left her with permanent health problems such as anaemia.

“I feel very cross, it was such an awful shock to think that something like that could happen because of the staff’s ineptitude. When you go into hospital, you trust them to care for you. I hope no one has to suffer like I did,” she said.

Marion Kerr, health economist at Insight Health Economics, said: "AKI costs the NHS more than £1 billion every year. That's more than we spend on breast, lung and bowel cancer combined.

"Every day more than 30 people are dying needlessly. Compare that to MRSA which was killing about four people a day at its peak.

"Simple improvements in basic care could save the NHS £200 million pounds a year and, more importantly, save thousands of lives."

A spokesman for NHS England said: "We have taken steps to ensure the NHS puts in place coherent long-term plans to reduce avoidable deaths in our hospitals, and to improve the way data is used in decision making.

"Health research based on real-life evidence like this is vitally important for NHS commissioners in choosing where to target their resources, and we thank Insight Health Economics and NHS Improving Quality for carrying it out."

Charlotte Leslie MP, Conservative member of the Commons health select commitee said: "This is really concerning - it highlights a lack of fundamental care in some of our hospitals and suggests that in some places basic standards are not being met."

"We saw in Mid-Staffs that the unthinkable can happen. We have to look again at nursing training, at continuity of medical care and that the management focus is on having sufficient frontline staff to look after patients."

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “The Health Secretary is clear in his ambition to make the NHS the safest health service in the world.

“Hospitals are ‘signing up to safety’ as part of their commitment to save more lives and reduce harm.

“Following the Francis Inquiry into care at Mid Staffordshire, we are also introducing new fundamental NHS standards covering the basics of care, including proper hydration.

"Increased effort is being put into training doctors and nurses about how to spot and treat Acute Kidney Failure and NICE has issued strong guidance on preventing this condition."

This article is courtesy from the Telegraph.

Bristol NHS branded 'disgusting' over heart surgery issues

The mother of a boy who died after heart surgery in Bristol has said continuing NHS issues are "disgusting".

Luke Jenkins' parents have recently discovered his death was not correctly recorded in official figures submitted by the Bristol Children's Hospital.

They complained to the medical director of the NHS and a personal reply email admitted there had been a data error.

Bristol's NHS trust said it was unaware how the error had occurred but it would ensure it would not happen again.

It has now been corrected with the trust highlighting the hospital's 30-day mortality rate for the Fontan procedure - a type of heart surgery - "remains entirely within the expected range."

Seven-year-old Luke, from Cardiff, suffered cardiac arrest and died following heart surgery in March 2012. He had been expected to make a full recovery.

For that year the original statistics held by NICOR - the National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research - incorrectly suggested there were no deaths of children who had Luke's same heart operation.

The death rate statistics are crucial to the NHS as they highlight potential dangers around surgical units.

Faye Valentine, Luke Jenkin's mother, said: "This is the last thing we need. To keep having to prove what they're doing is wrong - they should be recognising their own mistakes.

"It's not for us to be pointing out where they've gone wrong. They shouldn't be putting us through this.

"They've put us through enough taking Luke, and to put us through extra stuff as well which isn't needed is pretty disgusting."

NICOR said a "detailed chronological investigation dating back to 2012" was under way to explore why the error had occurred.

Bristol University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "We take the recording and monitoring of mortality data very seriously.

"From our own initial investigations it has not been possible to fully determine how this error occurred.

"As such we have suggested that a joint investigation is carried out, involving both NICOR and the Office for National Statistics, who provide data to NICOR, to establish how this error occurred and to ensure that stringent measures are in place to prevent a recurrence."

Last month Prof Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS, announced an inquiry would be held into the deaths of children following heart surgery at Bristol Children's Hospital.

A number of families had met with him to share their concerns about the care received by their children in the hospital.

This article is courtesy from the BBC.

Widower calls for action to avoid repeat of tragedy

The widower of a diabetic woman whose life could have been saved by a simple blood test has called on more to be done to avoid a similar tragedy.

David Pitt spoke out following a Nursing and Midwifery Council hearing on Thursday, March 27, which saw lead nurse Jackie Charman receiving a five-year caution order.

She has been told she must do further training if she returns to work after admitting failing to make the necessary checks before Margaret Pitt died in the Alexandra Hospital at the end of 2010 but has not been struck off the nursing register.

Mrs Pitt, aged 55, had lived with Type One diabetes for 30 years but suffered an irreversible brain injury and died after her glucose levels were not monitored.

Last year Mr Pitt received an undisclosed settlement and formal apology from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust after they admitted her critically low blood sugar levels would have been detected sooner had the checks taken place.

Mr Pitt, aged 63, said: "My family and I are frustrated, hurt and disappointed as we have been given no reason about why the NMC made the decision not to remove Jackie Charman from the nursing register.

“We hoped we would get closure yesterday in the hearing, but knowing she can be in charge of other patient’s care again leaves us struggling to move on.

“We can only hope that the training she will have to undergo to begin nursing again ensures she learns from what went wrong and that no other family will be left in the same situation as us.

“The Trust has repeatedly said that lessons have been learned, however we have not been told exactly what action has been taken to improve the treatment diabetic patients are offered. We feel that this is the least we deserve – nothing can bring Margaret back, but knowing her death was not in vain will give us some peace of mind."

Sara Burns, partner and medical law expert at Irwin Mitchell, added: "From investigating the failures relating to Mrs Pitt’s care, whilst Jackie Charman was the lead nurse and made a series of undeniable errors, she was also not the only individual at fault.

"Like Mr Pitt, we would like to see reassurance from the Trust about exactly what improvements have been made by the Trust in the treatment of diabetic patients to ensure the same tragedy can never be repeated.

"We welcome confirmation that it has increased training and funding in that particular area of care but Mr Pitt deserves to know what systems and guidelines have now been introduced that would protect a patient from suffering the same gross negligence as his wife."

A Trust spokeswoman said they wanted to offer their sincere condolences to Mrs Pitt's family.

"The nurse in question no longer works for our trust. We took action to improve care following this case. We continue to invest heavily in diabetes services both in our hospitals and in the community."

This article is courtesy from the Redditch Standard.

'All we've ever wanted is the truth about why our precious baby died'

The truth of how and why a baby girl died in hospital still haunts her grieving parents.

Nearly six years on, the parents of Erin McAuley are campaigning to improve communication protocols between healthcare authorities and patients' families when things go wrong.

Erin is one of five babies among 11 hospital deaths in the Northern Health Trust in 2008-2013, which the Health Minister publicly acknowledged last week where care "was below standard".

Her parents Chris and Louise, both 38, remain shocked by the lack of transparency and honesty behind the "inhuman treatment" that the mother-of-two received during her difficult labour at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.

They only learnt on Tuesday that their daughter's death was deemed to be a serious adverse incident – any event or circumstance that led or could have led to serious unintended or unexpected harm, loss or damage – and say they were never told about this.

Mr McAuley and and his wife, from Ballycastle, should have celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary in May 27, 2008 with a wonderful new addition to their family.

Erin would have been the youngest, and perhaps only, daughter to the Co Antrim couple, and little sister to two older brothers, Criostai and Feargus.

A week over her due date, Mrs McAuley was taken into the Causeway Hospital's maternity unit and laboured slowly over a long night on May 11.

"What occurred in front of my eyes was catastrophic and one that I hope nobody will ever go through in their lifetime," said Mr McAuley.

"At 5pm they agreed to prepare Louise for theatre. Eventually a doctor came in to tell us that they had to make a decision on who had priority to the theatre as an emergency had come in. In the space of 20 seconds, he told us that the other emergency was being taken first – I was completely floored."

Erin was born at 8pm on May 12 and was quickly moved to Antrim Hospital, as there was no neo-natal unit at the Causeway.

"The drive from Coleraine to Antrim is one I will never forget, the feeling of loneliness, thinking what was I going to do if I lost my daughter and wife, how would I cope?" said Mr McAuley. "Louise was never told why Erin was being taken to Antrim, only that she was sick. That was inhuman."

The next day as it became clear that the child would not survive, Erin was transferred back to hospital to her mother so that she and her husband could spend the last precious hours together. Once Erin died at 4pm on May 13, Mrs McAuley had to undergo another operation and spent the next five days on life support, having lost 10 pints of blood.

The McAuley's won substantial damages in a medical negligence case against the Northern Health Trust in October 13, 2013 after the case was settled last July.

Yesterday, a spokeswoman for the Northern Health Trust admited that its care in this case was below standard.

However, the family are still angry that an internal report that was carried out shortly after Erin's death – and which found no fault with her and Louise's care – has never been given to them all these years later.

"The truth is all we ever wanted about Erin, and we never got it until we pursued it," said Mr McAuley, a senior recreation officer with Moyle District Council.

This article is courtesy from The Belfast Telegraph.

Man died in Exeter hospital after tube was wrongly inserted into his lung

A liver transplant patient died after a hospital ‘never event’ in which a nasal gastric feeding tube was wrongly inserted into his lung.

Retired civil engineer Charles Ward died at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital two days after the nasogastric tube was fitted in January 2012.

Staff nurse Gavin Kelly who misplaced the tube told an Exeter inquest yesterday:”I had no reason to believe it was in the wrong place at the time.”

He said 62 year old Mr Ward ‘coughed and spluttered’ when the tube was inserted and the nurse said:”It is not a pleasant procedure.”

Mr Ward, of Dawlish Warren, Devon, had been fed for six hours by the tube when he collapsed in his bed at 4am.

A crash team was called and he was taken into intensive care where he died a day later.

The Devon coroner Dr Elizabeth Earland was told that since Mr Ward’s death, procedures had been changed at the hospital.

A second nurse, Paul Jenkins, told the inquest that Mr Ward had slumped on his bed on his side and was fighting for breath.

He said when the tube was inserted, Mr Ward ‘coughed and spluttered several times’ as he tried to get his breath back.

He added that Mr Ward had been ‘a bit agitated’ but there ‘was no mention of the tube being in the wrong place’.

Nurse Jenkins said Okement ward at the hospital was ‘always busy’ and staff had been dealing with a couple of falls and some confused patients but he said ‘we were not rushed off our feet’.

A medical expert Dr Jason Payne-James, a consultant forensic physician, said:”I do not believe these actions constitute gross negligence.”

But the coroner heard that the feed tube used on Mr Ward was withdrawn after his death and a new model is used which a tip which is easier to see on an X ray.

Solicitor Julie Ford, for the hospital Trust said the incident was ‘an unintended consequence of an intended action’.

The coroner recorded a narrative verdict and said Mr Ward died from chemical pneumonitis caused by the liquid feed going into his lung because of the naso gastric tube being wrongly positioned.

An acid PH test was carried out incorrectly by the staff nurse which should have indicated the tube had been inserted into Mr Ward’s lung and not his stomach.

The inquest was told he suffered liver disease and was awaiting a liver transplant but he needed feeding up to make him fit enough for the surgery.

A spokesman from the hospital said:”The Trust has been in contact with Mr Ward’s family from the outset of our investigation into this incident to provide as much support and information as possible.

“The Trust takes any incident of this nature – known as a Never Event - extremely seriously and although they are very rare, they are acted on immediately, fully investigated and lessons identified so that the risks of them happening in future are minimised.”

Em Wilkinson-Brice, Chief Nurse and Chief Operating Officer at the RD&E, said: “Providing safe care to patients is our top priority and our clinical teams work to exceptionally high standards. It is important that staff feel comfortable in reporting any incidents and that we learn from them.”

This article is courtesy from Exeter Express and Echo.

The hospital blunders that allowed a new mother to die

Rosida Etwaree loved being a mother, so when she became pregnant again in late 2009 — this time with twins — she was excited and looking forward to holding her new babies for the first time. Tragically, she never got the chance.

Mrs Etwaree died shortly after giving birth to two girls, Nabilah and Nuha, when a caesarean section she underwent at a south London hospital went disastrously wrong.

She was one of five mothers to die in childbirth at the Mayday Hospital, now called Croydon University Hospital, in 2010 — a victim of a catalogue of errors by medical staff.

In a further tragedy, Nabilah died of a heart condition just before her second birthday.

Now Mrs Etwaree’s widower, Ahamud, left looking after the couple’s five children, wants those responsible for his wife’s death to face the consequences.

“Rosida was a wonderful, devoted mother who loved her kids so much,” Mr Etwaree told The Telegraph. “Now I want to make sure whoever was responsible for her death is brought to justice, because I would never want anyone to suffer the way me and my family have done.”

Last week, he received an undisclosed sum in compensation after Croydon Health Services NHS Trust admitted liability for a series of failings in its treatment of Mrs Etwaree.

The Crown Prosecution Service is examining evidence, to consider manslaughter charges against the trust.

The other women who died shortly after giving birth at the Mayday in 2010 included Malgorzata Doniec, who suffered fatal bleeding on the brain, just weeks after giving birth. An inquest heard there were failings in her care, including missed opportunities to save her life.

Following the deaths, the hospital was put on a warning by the health regulator, the Care Quality Commission.

Speaking in detail for the first time about his wife’s case, Mr Etwaree said: “To be honest, when Rosida died, it seemed like a terrible tragedy at first. It was only when the police got in contact in January to say they were investigating possible manslaughter that I realised how serious it really was. Now I want to know exactly what happened.

“I want to be told the truth, because for all this time I’ve been kept in the dark.”

Mrs Etwaree, 45, had gone into hospital on June 23 2010, and had the twins following a caesarean section recommended by her consultant, both because of a heart condition in one of the babies and because Mrs Etwaree had raised blood pressure.

The babies were shown to her before being taken away for cleaning and monitoring.

“She was happy and she smiled to them, but she was too weak to hold them,” said Mr Etwaree, 42.

“I started to get worried. Other mums were being transferred out of the recovery room before Rosida, and she’d been in there longer.

“After three or four hours, she still wasn’t looking at all well, and by 6pm she was looking really distressed and in pain. She just wasn’t being monitored properly.

“I begged the doctors and nurses to help her, but they made me feel that I was panicking over nothing and that they had everything under control with the blood transfusions they had given her.”

At 7pm, Mrs Etwaree suffered the first of two cardiac arrests. Staff resuscitated her after the first, but the second, a short time later, was fatal.

“I just sat there in shock,” said Mr Etwaree. “It didn’t seem real. My first thought was how was I going to raise the children without their mother.

“Then, when I was led in to see her body and I hugged and kissed her, her forehead was cold. That was the moment I really knew she was gone.”

A post mortem examination found that the cardiac arrests had been triggered by prolonged and severe internal bleeding after the caesarean.

Mrs Etwaree’s case shocked even legal professionals familiar with cases of medical negligence.

Evidence commissioned by Mr Etwaree’s solicitors found that hospital staff:

Þ Failed accurately to record the extent of Mrs Etwaree’s loss of blood in the operating theatre or to adequately monitor her following surgery;

Þ Did not provide regular blood transfusions or identify the severity of her condition and return her to theatre for further investigations

Þ Failed to provide appropriate supervision and guidance to junior staff during and after the caesarean section.

In January, John Goulston, the chief executive of Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, wrote to Mr Etwaree to apologise and admitted that the death was “avoidable”.

Mr Etwaree described his wife as “the most devoted wife and mother possible”.

The couple, both from Mauritius, met in London in 1991, and married three years later.

“She always loved children,” said Mr Etwaree, speaking at the family’s home, barely half a mile from Croydon University Hospital.

The couple’s first child, Nadeem, born in 1995, is studying plumbing at college. He was followed by Nadia, now 16, Nadir, 12, and Nadil, 9.

“Rosida loved being a mum. She loved taking the children out, she loved dressing the girls up, she loved cooking for all of them. I wasn’t allowed near the kitchen,” said Mr Etwaree.

He used to have two jobs but now has been forced to give up work to devote himself to caring for the children.

“The last four years have been hard,” he admitted. “I’ve had to learn to cook, with the help of Rosida’s friends.

“There’d be times I’d only sleep a couple of hours a night before getting up again to prepare everyone for school. I had no option. I’ve had to step in for the children and learn to be both a mother and a father to them.

“The settlement money will help. But it won’t replace my children’s mum.”

This article is courtesy from The Telegraph.

Compensation over child hospital death

The parents of a child who died in hospital after undergoing an appendix operation are to receive £40,000 compensation, it has been announced.

Ray and Marie Ferguson reached an out of court settlement with the Western Health and Social Care Trust over the death of their daughter Raychel.

The nine-year-old died in June 2001, following her admission to Altnagelvin Hospital. She was administered a lethal dose of intravenous fluid after her appendix was removed.

Her death was investigated as part of the Hyponatraemia Inquiry, a condition which causes the brain cells to swell because of a low level of sodium in the bloodstream.

After her operation, Raychel was transferred to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children where she died hours later. Last year the Western Trust finally admitted liability and issued an unreserved apology to her family.

A medical negligence claim lodged at the High Court in Belfast was due to decide the level of damages to be awarded to Mr and Mrs Ferguson.

But Mr Justice Gillen was instead told that a settlement had been negotiated, with the family to receive £40,000 plus their legal costs.

Outside the court Mrs Ferguson stressed she was far from satisfied with the outcome, describing the compensation as "an insult".

Had the case gone to a hearing on the amount to be paid out, the family may not have got any more than the statutory limit of £11,800 to compensate the death of a child.

Mrs Ferguson insisted the law needs to change: "It's absolutely ridiculous. Some people would actually have got that (£11,800) for a whiplash claim.We are talking about the loss of a child. That's the most horrendous thing that can happen to anyone.

"The money is not going to bring my daughter, but it's just part of the legal system."

Raychel's death was one of five examined by the inquiry held in Banbridge, Co Down.

A report setting out its findings is awaited. Mrs Ferguson pledged that her family's legal battle may continue, with a possible further lawsuit against the Belfast Trust.

She confirmed: "It doesn't end here today. I'm going to fight on, and one of the things I'm going to fight for is the statutory amount (of compensation)."

This article is courtesy from U.TV.

Southampton Hospital Settlement Over Boy's Death

Matthew Kenway, of Fareham, Hampshire, died at Southampton General Hospital in December 2010 after going in for a routine kidney operation.

At an inquest into his death, Coroner Keith Wiseman heard how Matthew had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest, and there was a delay in summoning an emergency team to restart his heart.

Matthew's parents Mr Anthony Kenway and Ms Katie Oxley, represented by clinical negligence specialists from law firm Blake Lapthorn, took legal action against University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust over the circumstances of his death.

The Trust has now reached a settlement in which it has agreed to pay an undisclosed five-figure sum to Matthew's parents.

The family's solicitor Patricia Wakeford, of Blake Lapthorn, said: "Evidence heard at the inquest raised grave concerns about the quality of care that Matthew received and the processes that were in place at Southampton General Hospital at the time of Matthew's death.

"Despite their loss, Matthew's family have been determined to remember their son as the lively, happy, much-loved child that he was.

"They hope that important lessons are learned from the events that led to his death and that this will prevent other families suffering a similar tragedy in the future."

Ms Oxley said: "Nothing can bring Matthew back but we were determined to highlight what went wrong in the hope that lessons could be learned and that no other family would have to suffer what we have been through.

"Knowing that changes have now been made in the high-dependency unit gives us some comfort. We will always feel Matthew's loss but we do now feel as if we can start to move on.

"We would like to thank Patricia Wakeford and Blake Lapthorn for their support during what has been an incredibly difficult and emotional time."

Matthew suffered from a type of muscular dystrophy called congenital fibre-type disproportion, which meant that he had weak muscles and had to be supported by a ventilator to help him breathe. He also had to be fed through a tube.

Despite the problems it causes, 75 per cent of sufferers of the condition are expected to live a normal lifespan.

Matthew was admitted to Southampton General Hospital in December 2010 because his breathing had deteriorated slightly and he had some pain caused by kidney stones.

On December 15 he underwent an operation to bypass the blockage by the insertion of a tube, known as a stent, up to his left kidney.

After the operation Matthew was looked after on the Paediatric High Dependency Unit (HDU). Shortly after 3am, the oxygen monitor probe appeared not to be recording his oxygen levels. The nurse initially thought the machine might be faulty, but it transpired that Matthew's heart had stopped.

Eventually, a cardiac arrest call was put out and the arrest team then attempted, for 40 minutes until 4.20am, to resuscitate Matthew but they were unsuccessful and he died.

During the course of the two-day inquest, a series of key findings emerged suggesting there were serious shortcomings in the care Matthew received.

At post-mortem it emerged that the stent placed in the left kidney was not in the correct place.

Staff on the Paediatric HDU did not recognise that Matthew's heart had stopped because he was on a ventilator that was maintaining his breathing. In addition, a monitoring probe recording his oxygen levels was felt to be the issue despite no change in Mathew's condition when it was changed.

The inquest heard that a cardiac monitor would have shown that his heart had stopped. The provision of heart monitors is now standard procedure in the Paediatric HDU after surgery.

Dr Michael Marsh, medical director at Southampton University Hospitals Trust, said: "This was an extremely sad case and our thoughts continue to be with Matthew's family following their loss.

"We hope the information provided at his inquest last year helped to give his family a clearer picture of the unusual nature of his condition and the complexities it presented, and the positive actions taken by the trust as a result of the lessons learned.

"Although legal proceedings are now complete, we will continue to offer Matthew's family our full support to help them through this difficult experience."

Following Matthew's case, the Trust introduced electrocardiogram monitoring for all infants and children in the paediatric high dependency unit post-surgery.

This article is courtesy from Capital FM.

Widow sues GP for £1.25 million after he 'misdiagnosed her husband's deadly cancer as PILES'

A grieving widow is suing a GP for £1.25million because she believes he misdiagnosed her husband's deadly cancer as piles.

Christopher Goodhead, died aged just 41 in January 2009, four years after the examination by Dr Asim Islam, who performed the exam on his first day in the job.

His devastated widow Melissa Cutting claims Dr Islam's allegedly inadequate examination caused a fatal 'delay in diagnosis' of her husband's condition until 2007.

Furious Mrs Cutting, who has been left to look after her four sons, who were aged between five and 11 at the time, heard the news of his rectal cancer in 2007 - just weeks after Mr Goodhead had completd the London Marathon.

The IT expert, originally from Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, had visited the doctor two years earlier at The Stanstead Surgery, in Essex, near his new home in Suffolk.

Lawyers for his widow told London's High Court Dr Islam, on his first day in the job, carried out nothing more than a 'simple visual examination' and failed to thoroughly investigate the problems.

Dr Islam denies any responsibility for the death, and his legal team insist Mr Goodhead 'would have died in any event' even with specialist treatment from 2005.

Robert Seabrook QC, representing Mrs Cutting, told the court Mr Goodhead had left the surgery believing he had nothing worse than piles.

He said: 'He left the surgery believing that his diagnosis was certain, non-serious, and that no further medical input was necessary.

'Had he been advised to return for review - or if symptoms continued - he would have done so.

'It is our case that, with competent assessment and treatment in April 2005, a diagnosis of cancer would have been made in May 2005.

'He would have been successfully treated and would have lived, or would at least have had an increased length of time to live.

'The defence case is that, even with earlier diagnosis and treatment, he would still have died on exactly the same day - or not significantly later.'

Mr Goodhead and his wife received the horrifying news that he was suffering from stage four cancer in June 2007.

Soon he began to undergo chemotherapy - but it was not enough to prevent the virulent cancer spreading through his body.

He died at home less than two years later in January 2009 but Mr Seabrook argued that given his 'gritty' character and "exceptional" fitness he would have stood a chance of beating the disease if given longer.

Claire Toogood, representing Dr Islam, told the court it would have been 'ludicrous' for her client to diagnose cancer from the symptoms he was presented with.

She said: 'It would hav ebeen ludicrous for a GP to have worried Mr Goodhead that he had cancer in circumstances where there were absolutely no pointers towards it.'

On a memorial site dedicated to her late husband Mrs Cutting described Christopher as 'an amazing man with a very big heart. He adored his family and was a wonderful husband and father.'

Compensation in the case has been agreed at £1,250,000 if the widow can prove he would have 'survived and lived' but for the alleged negligence.

Judge Dame Frances Patterson QC has reserved her judgement on the claim until a later date.

This article is courtesy from The Daily Mail.

Parents get compensation after death of four-year-old Matthew Kenway

A hospital trust has paid out a five-figure compensation sum in the wake of a four-year-old's death.

Matthew Kenway died at the Southampton General Hospital after going in there for a routine kidney operation.

Now it has been announced that the family of the youngster, of Bellfield, Fareham, who died in December 2010 on the hospital's High Dependency Unit, are to be paid a five-figure sum in compensation.

An inquest last year heard how Matthew had seemed to be recovering well from his operation but his heart stopped suddenly and he died.

Delivering a narrative verdict, Southampton coroner Keith Wiseman called for “lessons to be learned” after hearing about delays in medical staff spotting that Matthew's heart was failing.

He said: “There was clearly a delay in recognising that there had been cardiac arrest.

“Obviously the passage of any such time could have affected the likelihood of resuscitation being effective.”

Mr Wiseman highlighted an NHS report urging better checks for breathing, circulation and consciousness.

He added: “There was also to be training and reminders to nursing staff on the appropriate escalation process in an emergency situation arising - that is to say, the calling of the cardiac arrest emergency team before physically calling for help to someone nearby, however close.”

Southampton Coroner's Court was told how after surgery Matthew, who had a lifelong muscular condition called congenital fibre-type disproportion, was looked after on the paediatric high-dependency unit but in the early hours the oxygen monitor probe appeared not to be recording anything.

A nurse initially thought the machine might be faulty, but it turned out that Matthew's heart had stopped.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust said following Matthew's death it had now introduced heart monitoring for all infants and children who have had surgery.It emerged Matthew had not been hooked up to a heart monitor and that treatment may have been delayed because an unqualified nurse ran to bring a doctor, rather than raising a cardiac arrest alarm.

The inquest heard Matthew had a congenital condition that made his muscles weaker than usual so he relied on a home ventilator and had a tracheostomy to breathe.

His parents Anthony Kenway and Katie Oxley, represented by clinical negligence specialists from law firm Blake Lapthorn, took legal action against University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust over the circumstances of Matthew's death.

The Trust has now reached a settlement in which it has agreed to pay an undisclosed five-figure sum to them.

The family's solicitor Patricia Wakeford, of Blake Lapthorn, said: “Evidence heard at the inquest raised grave concerns about the quality of care that Matthew received and the processes that were in place at Southampton General Hospital at the time of Matthew's death.

“Despite their loss, Matthew's family have been determined to remember their son as the lively, happy, much-loved child that he was.

“They hope that important lessons are learned from the events that led to his death and that this will prevent other families suffering a similar tragedy in the future.”

Ms Oxley said: “Nothing can bring Matthew back but we were determined to highlight what went wrong in the hope that lessons could be learned and that no other family would have to suffer what we have been through.

“Knowing that changes have now been made in the high-dependency unit gives us some comfort.

“We will always feel Matthew's loss but we do now feel as if we can start to move on.”

This article is courtesy from The Daily Echo.

Basildon Hospital inundated with compensation claims from irate patients as solicitors Leigh Day launches 64 cases

Basildon Hospital is facing hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation payouts after a legal firm lodged dozens of claims to the trust.

Specialist solicitors Leigh Day has made 64 claims to Basildon Hospital this year from as far back as 2003 as more new cases come to light following the fiasco at Staffordshire Hospitals.

It compares to a total of 57 negligence claims made against the hospital from all solicitors in 2012/13. Leigh Day said the total number of claims against the hospital that year could be even higher.

Claims include patients being left in soiled bedding, delays in treatment and pain relief, and delays in referrals.

In some cases patients allegedly died as a result of the hospital’s actions.

The majority of cases refer to patients aged 60 and over, but one involves a patient under 18.

Most have come to light from 2012, with Leigh Day dealing with three times as many claims during that year than any other.

Emma Jones, solicitor in Leigh Day’s human rights department, said: “We consider these issues to be human rights issues as well as negligent.

“The failure to ensure someone has enough to eat and drink, be given medication and being taken to the bathroom are human rights.”

Leigh Day is dealing with 225 cases from 39 hospitals and 37 hospital trusts across the country.

The number of claims relating to Basildon Hospital account for more than a quarter of all cases being dealt with, and nearly double any other trust. Barking Havering and Redbridge Trust, which has the second highest number of cases against it, faces 34 compensation claims.

Miss Jones added: “It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly why Basildon Hospital has so many more cases against it than other trusts. I think it suggests standards have been noticeably low for a longer period of time.”

Basildon Hospital and the NHS Litigation Authority refused to say the total number of active compensation claims against the hospital.

Relatives of patients who died at the hands of Basildon Hospital have estimated the trust may need to pay out up to £1million in compensation.

While solicitors and Basildon Hospital refused to put a figure on the 64 compensation claims made against the hospital, victims expect the hospital could be out of anything from £60,000 to £1million.

Christine Papalabropoulos, whose daughter Tina died in 2009 of pneumonia, has already been awarded £3,000 compensation from the Health Service Ombudsman – £2,000 from the hospital trust and £1,000 from South Essex Emergency Doctors’ Surgeries. But she is one of 64 who have launched a private compensation claim.

Christine, 57, of Harris Drive, Wickford, said: “It’s not about the money, but about the anger you feel towards the hospital. If you told me there were this many claimants five years ago I would be surprised but nothing surprises me now.

“We are human beings, not a slab of meat, but we are not being treated like human beings.”

Dan Chapple, who founded Cure the NHS after his mother Pam died of a brain haemorrhage, said: “It’s very hard to tell howmuch the hospital will have to pay. It could be anything from £60,000 to £1million. It depends on how many dependents the victim has, how much of their working life is left, and howmuch of a mess the hospital has made.

“I hope Leigh Day doesn’t try to settle out of court for silence, otherwise the problems won’t come to light, will be swept under the carpet, and changes won’t be made.”
Basildon Hospital had to pay out more than £5million in compensation claims last year.

NHS insurers paid a total of £5,081,234 in 2012/13 for claims against the hospital.

Hospital bosses said the figure is close to the national average.

It paid a total of £2.625million in damages, £1.997million in claimants’ legal costs and £457,894 to cover its own legal fees.

In total, 57 negligence claims were made against Basildon Hospital. This year 64 have been brought against the trust by Leigh Day alone.

Basildon Hospital has been praised for improving standards of care.

Keogh inspectors, who first visited the hospital in May last year, said the hospital was addressing levels of staffing and concerns about patient care after they inspected the site again in November.

Hospital bosses have agreed to round table discussions with Leigh Day about all their cases in a bid to save legal costs on both sides.

A spokesman for the hospital said: “The trust has received a list from Leigh Day solicitors and we are currently in contact with them regarding a number of these cases.

“We have not received any similar joint actions from other solicitors.

“We would encourage anybodywho is unhappywith their care, or the care provided to a relative, to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service so issues can be quickly addressed and we can learn from any mistakes.”

This article is courtesy from the Echo.

Woman wins payout from hospital that let her baby die

A mother has won damages from an NHS hospital trust that refused to resuscitate her baby — leaving him to die in her arms.

Tracy Godwin, 34, was distraught as doctors left Tom to die after his condition deteriorated following his premature birth in March 2010.

She pleaded for help but the hospital ignored her express wishes — against its own guidelines. Tom fought for his life for 46 minutes before dying.

Nearly four years later, Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has settled her claim.

“I had many unanswered questions concerning my treatment and the death of my baby, which caused me to become severely depressed and unable to work,” said Ms Godwin.

“I was left alone, desperate and helpless to alleviate the suffering of my baby boy. I was given no guidance or warning on the hospital’s treatment of very premature births.”

Ms Godwin, an accounts assistant from Southend, became pregnant with her first child in November 2009. At 22 weeks, she experienced severe pain and was told at hospital that she had gone into labour. She gave birth three days later and was told her baby was unlikely to survive at 23 weeks.

Tom weighed one pound, was distressed and having difficulty breathing and she told medical staff everything should be done to keep him alive.

With no consultant present, staff refused to take him to the baby care unit and he soon. She was later informed that resuscitating her baby was against hospital policy.

While babies born at 23-25 weeks are routinely resuscitated, it is up to individual NHS Trusts to decide their policy on babies born at 22-23 weeks.

Southend Hospital does not resuscitate babies of this age but is required to take note of a patient’s express wishes. Ms Godwin said she was not informed of that policy.

She has since given birth to a daughter, Isla, who was born at 24 weeks.

Her lawyer, Johanne Turner, clinical negligence partner at BTMK, said: “This tragic case raises the issue of hospital policies on taking steps to resuscitate and save premature babies.

“Mothers must be adequately prepared and under no circumstances should they be abandoned in the most vulnerable of states.

“It has taken three years to secure a settlement for Tracy and while it will never replace the loss of her son, it was never about financial gain but more a relief that the hospital has admitted they failed to follow their own guidelines in place at the time relating to premature babies.”

Sue Hardy, Southend hospital’s chief nurse, said: “We offer our sincere condolences to Ms Godwin on the loss of her baby and are sorry that her experience of care did not meet the high standard we strive to provide.”

This article is courtesy from the Standard.

Family of brain-dead California girl secure feeding and breathing tubes

The family of a 13-year-old California girl who was declared brain-dead after suffering complications from sleep apnea surgery has secured for her the feeding and breathing tubes for which they had been fighting.

Christopher Dolan, the attorney for the girl's family, said doctors inserted the gastric tube and tracheostomy tube Wednesday at the undisclosed facility where Jahi McMath was taken on 5 January.

The procedure was a success, Dolan said, and Jahi is getting the treatment that her family believes she should have received 28 days ago, when doctors at Children's Hospital Oakland first declared her brain-dead.

Jahi underwent tonsil surgery 9 December, then began bleeding heavily before going into cardiac arrest and being declared brain dead on 12 December.

Her mother has refused to believe Jahi is dead and went to court to prevent her daughter from being taken off a ventilator.

Jahi's uncle, Omari Sealey, said Monday that she is now being cared for at a facility that shares her family's belief that she still is alive. The new facility has "been very welcoming with open arms", Sealey said. "They have beliefs just like ours."

Neither Dolan nor the family would disclose the name or location of that facility, which took the eighth-grader after a weekslong battle by her family to prevent Children's Hospital Oakland from removing her from the breathing machine that has kept her heart beating.

But medical experts said the ventilator won't work indefinitely and caring for a patient whom three doctors have said is legally dead is likely to be challenging because – unlike someone in a coma – there is no blood flow or electrical activity in either her cerebrum or the brain stem that controls breathing.

The bodies of brain-dead patients kept on ventilators gradually deteriorate, eventually causing blood pressure to plummet and the heart to stop, said Dr Paul Vespa, director of neurocritical care at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has no role in McMath's care. The process usually takes only days but can sometimes continue for months, medical experts say.

"The bodies are really in an artificial state. It requires a great deal of manipulation in order to keep the circulation going," Vespa said.

Brain-dead people may look like they're sleeping, he added, but it's "an illusion based on advanced medical techniques".

Sealey, the girl's uncle, said Monday that Jahi's mother, Nailah Winkfield, is relieved her persistence paid off and "sounds happier". He criticized Children's Hospital for repeatedly telling Winkfield they did not need her permission to remove Jahi from the ventilator because the girl was dead.

Sealey told reporters Monday that Jahi traveled by ground from Children's Hospital to the unnamed facility and there were no complications in the transfer, suggesting she may still be in California.

The $55,000 in private donations the family has raised since taking the case public helped cover the carefully choreographed handoff to the critical care team and transportation to the new location, Sealey said.

"If her heart stops beating while she is on the respirator, we can accept that because it means she is done fighting," he said. "We couldn't accept them pulling the plug on her early."

Meanwhile, an advocacy group is facing sharp criticism for using Jahi's case to try to raise money.

The nonprofit Consumer noted in an email solicitation that it fights for patient safety for families like Jahi's and that it had drafted a proposed November ballot measure that would raise medical malpractice award limits in California.

Dolan, the family attorney, is a board member of Consumer Attorneys of California, the prime group funding the ballot initiative to lift the cap on pain and suffering awards. But he said he was dismayed that Consumer Watchdog used Jahi's name as a fundraising tool.

"Using Jahi's case as an example is wrong and that is not what this case is about," he said in a text message to the Associated Press.

Hospital spokesman Sam Singer also criticized the use of Jahi's case for fundraising, calling it "tasteless and thoughtless".

Consumer Watchdog executive director Carmen Balber said the funds were being solicited for the organization's patient safety program, not the political campaign, and none of the money would go to the ballot measure.

"We thought we were being clear," she said. "This email has been construed in ways we didn't expect."

Consumer Watchdog's Christmas Eve email to supporters prominently mentioned the Jahi McMath case to support the need for its advocacy work and for lifting the state's 38-year-old cap on medical malpractice awards.

"Hospitals like Children's actually have an incentive to let children like Jahi die," the email said. "If kids injured by medical negligence die, the most their families can recover is $250,000. … If children who are victims of medical negligence live, hospitals are on the hook for medical bills for life, which could be millions."

If it gets on November's ballot and passes, the Troy & Alana Pack Patient Safety Act would raise the cap on medical malpractice awards to about $1.2m, a limit that would increase based on inflation, said Bob Pack, chair of the campaign committee. He said the group has collected about 500,000 signatures and wants 300,000 more by 25 March to assure there are enough valid ones to qualify for the ballot.

This article is courtesy from The Guardian.

Hospital in ‘serious failings’ over mum who bled to death

A hospital was criticised for serious failings after a woman bled to death.

PC Diane Patt, 34, died hours after giving birth to her daughter at Colchester General Hospital.

The girl was safely delivered, but Mrs Patt suffered a massive haemorrhage and lost up to six litres of blood, which were not replaced.

Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray said the hospital had failed in its care of Mrs Patt.

She said: “There were very serious failings in the care Mrs Patt received. With the appropriate and timely treatment, Mrs Patt might have survived. Her death was contributed to by neglect.”

Mrs Beasley-Murray said there was a failure of communication between the clinical teams, lack of leadership to deal with the developing situation and lack of clear, overall co-ordination and team work.

It emerged during the inquest surgical teams had not followedasurgical safety check list.

During the three-day hearing, the inquest was told doctors worked to stem Mrs Patt’s bleeding after the birth. Mrs Patt, of Nayland Road, Colchester, was admitted on September 18, 2011.

She asked for a natural birth, having had a Caesarean during the birth of her first child, a boy.

At the time they estimated she had lost about 2.4 litres of blood. In fact, she had lost more than twice that amount.She gave birth to her daughter with the aid of a suction device called a ventouse, at 8.20pm, after a failed forceps delivery. Problems arose afterwards, when staff noted she was suffering “torrential bleeding”.

She was pronounced dead at 11.57pm. A post-mortem showed cause of death as cardiac arrest, caused by massive blood loss.

The coroner described the hours before Mrs Patt’s death as confused and “chaotic’’. She said: “The decision to attempt an instrumental delivery represents sub-optimum care and the decision to use forceps also represented sub-optimum care.”

Mrs Patt’s widower, Sgt Major Jason Patt, of the 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, attended the hearing with other members of the family, whom Mrs Beasley-Murray praised for the way they had handled Mrs Patt’s death.

Widower: Our devastation at care errors

A WIDOWER says his family have been left devastated by hospital errors that claimed his wife’s life.

Sgt Major Jason Patt said he hoped Colchester General Hospital had learnt from the mistakes that caused Diane’s death.

Mrs Patt, 34, a police officer based in Colchester, suffered a fatal heart attack after losing five litres of blood. Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray found “very serious failings’’ in the case and said death was contributed to by neglect.

In a statement after the verdict, Sgt Major Patt, of Colchester’s 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery, said: “My family has been devastated by the errors made by the hospital.

“It has taken a wonderful mother and wife away from us.

“I had many unanswered questions before the inquest and I am pleased the coroner has carried out such a thorough review.

“She identified a succession of very serious failings in Diane’s care, but my familywill nowhave to deal with the consequences.

“I can only hope the hospital learns from its mistakes, so the same does not happen to someone else.”

Mr and Mrs Patt’s daughter is now two. The couple’s son is aged four.

Paul Sankey, a clinical negligence lawyer with London-based Slater and Gordon, said: “A thorough investigation by the coroner has revealed devastating criticisms of Mrs Patt’s management.

“It is difficult to understand why anaesthetists failed to respond to Mrs Patt’s extensive blood loss and to give her adequate replacement fluids.

“It seems clear with adequate management she would not have died and proper care would have avoided such a catastrophic loss to her family.

"The clinicians need to learn from their avoidable errors and the hospital management must ensure all concerned learn from this tragedy.”

After PC Patt’s death, Lee Davies, her chief inspector at Colchester police station, said: “She was a fantastic officer, a credit to the force and her family.”

This article is courtesy from the Gazette.

Bournemouth hospital doctors 'signed death warrant'

Doctors at a Dorset hospital signed a "do not resuscitate" order on a patient without informing her or her family.

June Brook, 79, had been admitted to Royal Bournemouth Hospital with sickness and diarrhoea but during her stay the order was issued to allow her to die if she needed resuscitating.

The order, which states the family were "not available", was found in Mrs Brook's bag after she was discharged.

The hospital has apologised and promised an investigation.

The order, which stays on a patient's records, was signed by two doctors and dated 10 October 2013. It states CPR would be inappropriate because Mrs Brook has dementia.'Legalised euthanasia'

Mrs Brook's son, Kevin, said: "It would basically have meant that they would have not resuscitated her and she would now no longer be with us.

"To me it looks like a death warrant.

"It's like legalised euthanasia. I'm gobsmacked - I don't know why they have written it."

A hospital spokesman said: "When a clinical decision needs to be made that CPR should not be attempted, and the patient is not able to do this, relatives must be consulted. They may be able to help by indicating what the patient would decide, if able to do so.

"On this occasion this discussion did not happen, for which we sincerely apologise. The reasons why this did not happen and why proper processes for communicating with next of kin were not followed are being investigated.

"We have not received any communication from the patient's family and we will therefore be contacting them to clearly understand their concerns and help us carry out a thorough investigation and learn from this. Further education for staff on this part of the patient pathway would form part of this improvement."

This article is courtesy from the BBC.

Surgeon convicted of patient manslaughter through negligence

Surgeon David Sellu, who has been found guilty of manslaughter through gross negligence.

A consultant surgeon has been convicted of the manslaughter of a patient at a private London hospital and sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

David Sellu, 66, was found guilty of manslaughter through gross negligence over the death of James Hughes, who died three days after developing a life-threatening condition while undergoing treatment in 2010.

Hughes, 67, died at the Clementine Churchill Hospital in Harrow, north-west London, following knee replacement surgery. The operation went smoothly but while recovering from surgery he developed abdominal pain and was transferred to Sellu's care.

Sellu suspected there had been a rupture in the patient's bowel – a potentially life-threatening condition that requires surgery – but the surgeon ignored the urgency that the case demanded and the patient later died.

The judge at the Old Bailey, Mr Justice Nicol, said that Sellu had failed to give instructions to prescribe antibiotics and should have carried out and examined abdominal scans of Hughes far earlier.

In his sentencing remarks, the judge said: "Even if you had acted more speedily, there was a chance that Mr Hughes would have died anyway. There is always such a risk with major abdominal surgery of the kind he needed.

"But the chance would have been very, very much smaller if you had acted as a reasonable surgeon would have done on the Thursday night.

"The risks would have increased if the operation had not taken place until Friday morning and would have got progressively larger as the day went on, but at each stage the chances of his survival would still have been better than when he finally did get to the operating theatre late in the evening of Friday 12 February."

He added: "It was you who was responsible for determining his treatment. It is your several failures in that regard which amounted to gross negligence. I am afraid that it means your culpability is high. And that negligence contributed significantly to the death of Mr Hughes."

Elizabeth Joslin, a specialist lawyer for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "James Joseph Hughes was in hospital for knee surgery when he by chance suffered a perforated bowel. David Sellu's care fell far below the expected standard, with terrible consequences.

"Prosecution of doctors for gross negligence manslaughter is rare and the threshold for criminal prosecution is high, but this doctor's actions were not mistakes or errors of judgment, but negligence so serious that he has now been convicted of a criminal offence. Our thoughts are with the family of Mr Hughes."

His wife, Ann, described the suffering experienced by the family in a victim impact statement put before the court. It said: "For three years we have struggled to discover and then accept the truth of what happened to Jim. The world does not stand still but for us we have been subjected to a tortuous purgatory that can only be brought to an end by truth and justice.

"Our trust in normal processes, authorities and structures of society was shattered by the inexplicable, callous and deceitful actions of the medical profession entrusted with the most basic responsibility to protect human life."

This article is courtesy from The Guardian.

Patient bled to death on ward at Queen’s Medical Centre

A patient was “left to bleed to death” on a hospital ward after nurses did not carry out observations on her for 16 hours.

Susan Wilson, 58, of Larkhill Village, Clifton, was recovering on Ward E15 at the Queen’s Medical Centre after having her gallbladder removed last October.

Staff nurse Neil Bailey only realised he had not carried out four-hourly observations on her at the end of his night shift, when Mrs Wilson may well have been dead for several hours.

He told an inquest into her death yesterday he was too busy on his shift to check observations on Mrs Wilson and admitted her requirements were “overlooked”.

“At no point did I make a conscious decision not to attend to Susan,” he said.

He told Deputy Coroner Heidi Connor that he felt “somewhat overwhelmed that night” and at times found it “very difficult” to deliver care in an organised and orderly manner.

“When I handed over my patients (at the end of my shift), I became aware I had entirely overlooked Susan’s needs and requirements and went to check her and it was at that time I discovered her to have no signs of life,” he said.

Mrs Wilson had decided to go ahead with the operation to deal with a painful gallbladder and was aware of the risks because of an existing heart problem.

After the op, she spent time on a high-dependency unit before she was moved to Ward E18, where nursing observations should have been carried out.

The coroner recorded a narrative verdict and deemed the cause of Mrs Wilson’s death was a heart attack caused by bleeding she suffered after the operation.

However, she said there were “too many unknowns” to say whether her death would have been avoided if observations had been carried out.

“To miss or delay one observation is one thing but to have no observations in an entire 12-hour shift and no notes at all is nothing short of shocking,” Said Mrs Connor. “It’s clear he (Mr Bailey) felt overwhelmed and I have some sympathy in that respect. Staff Nurse Bailey failed to provide the medical attention Susan needed.”

The court had heard about staffing in the ward and concerns that Mr Bailey, who had been caring for ten of the 28 patients, had previously raised.

The coroner said staffing was a national crisis and not unique to this geographical area, adding: “It goes without saying this is something the trust needs to prioritise to avoid tragedies like the one we have heard about today.”

After the hearing, Paul Sankey, clinical negligence lawyer with London law firm Slater and Gordon, said: “Susan Wilson’s tragic death was wholly avoidable. She was left to bleed to death on a ward and no one noticed.

“After 16 hours on a ward, none of her four-hourly observations had been done. Had nurses checked her vital signs, they would have realised that she was deteriorating, infused blood and returned her to the high-dependency unit.

“She would not have died. The nursing care she received was inadequate and there were too few staff on the ward.

“The Care Quality Commission has raised concerns about staffing levels at Queen’s Medical Centre and the trust running the hospital need to take note.”

Jenny Leggott, director of nursing and midwifery for Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, said: “We extend our condolences and reiterate our apology to the family for failing our basic duties of care and letting Mrs Wilson and them down so badly.

“The absence of regular clinical observations and checks on Mrs Wilson overnight when she passed away meant her deteriorating condition regrettably went unnoticed.

“We have learnt from this tragic case and made changes to improve safety and outcomes for our future patients.

“We are closely monitoring the implementation of all of the recommendations at the highest level.”

Ms Leggott said the trust had implemented a series of improvements, including better communication and a training programme for junior doctors and nurses to help them recognise the deterioration of patients and alert senior colleagues.

This article is courtesy from The Nottingham Post.

Mother claims healthy son, 19, was killed by flu-shot after he fell into a coma just 24-hours after having vaccine

The bereaved mother of Utah teen is convinced her otherwise healthy son's death was caused by a flu-shot he was given the day before he fell ill - in a case which baffled doctors.

In the obituary for her son, Chandler, 19, Lori Webb said that her son was given his first ever shot on October 15th after agreeing to travel on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

However, the day after receiving the flu and tuberculosis shots, the Brighton High School graduate began suffering sever vomiting and was admitted to hospital in Salt Lake City wehere he fell into a coma 24-hours later.

'Sicker than he has ever been in his life. He says he's never shook so hard his whole life. He had the worst headache, throw up, and he slept for about two and a half days and didn't eat anything during that time,' said Webb to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Chandler was ultimately taken off life support after a month in a coma and he died on Tuesday after 28 days in the hospital.

Chandler Webb’s direct cause of death was swelling of the brain, his mother said.

But Lori claims that it has to be the flu shot because her had never been ill before.

'We're angry because we believe it's the flu shot that caused it,' said Lori to the Salt Lake Tribune.

However, Chandler's doctors have not discussed his case and public health officials repeated that the vaccine is safe and rarely has serious side effects.

Lori has decided not to have an autopsy, deciding that the results of a brain biopsy will be sufficient to determine the cause of death.

Chandler's medical team, which included six neurologists at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, tested him for every conceivable illness - including Lyme disease and sexually transmitted ones.

'They checked every virus, every fungus, ever tick, west nile they even checked for rabies,' said Webb. 'And they can't find anything...it was the most senseless, senseless, death.'

'This was his first flu shot,' Webb said. 'He’d never had one before.'

'I hate this. 'I hate that I have to bury my son.'

Utah Department of Health spokesman Tom Hudachko said the state is aware of the case but can’t verify the cause of death or whether it is investigating.

The health department also has no record of anyone from Utah dying from a reaction to the vaccine, he said.

'Like with other medical procedures, there can be side effects and adverse reactions,' he said.

'In the vast majority of those cases the side effects are not very severe — soreness at the injection site, low fever, achiness. Occasionally, yes, there are more severe side effects from receiving the vaccine.'

130 million people nationwide, nearly half of Americans, get the flu vaccine every year and side effects are extremely rare.

Out of those 130 million people, about 140 people report serious side-effects.

Chandler Webb was described as a healthy teen, who visited the gym five days a week before he fell ill.

Lori Webb described how as her son was taken off life-support she cut his hair for the last time and told him the story of 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff', just as she did when he was a child.

'I can’t describe how hard it is to lose a child,' she said.

This article is courtesy from The Daily Mail.