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Serious failures caused death of mother
A coroner has highlighted “serious failures”‘ which contributed to the death of a woman after she gave birth at an east London hospital.
Violet Stephens, 35, died in April last year at Queen’s Hospital in Romford hours after her son was delivered by Caesarean-section. Mrs Stephens had gone to the hospital complaining of chest problems.
The inquest found that she should have been given a blood transfusion earlier and that serious failures between consultants meant she had not given birth earlier.
Expert witnesses said the ward was working at peak, which led to delays in treatment, tests and communication.
Cancer operations cancelled due to hospital backlog
Six cancer patients have had their operations cancelled at Addenbrooke’s after the Cambridge hospital was ‘too full’ to take any more patients.
The patients were either waiting to have tumours removed, have “complex surgery” for reconstruction or undergo procedures to determine whether they indeed have cancer.
While the hospital is from time to time forced to cancel planned operations due to an influx of emergency patients, it is the first time Addenbrooke’s has resorted to cancelling cancer patients’ operations.
Crohn’s sufferer diagnosed with anorexia
Between the ages of 16 and 19, Fiona Argo’s weight plummeted from 9½ stone to just 5st, extremely underweight for her 5ft 5in frame. Her periods stopped and her weight was so dangerously low she was told she was at risk of heart failure and even death.
She was diagnosed with anorexia and hospitalised. But while the diagnosis seemed obvious to doctors, friends and family, Fiona remained adamant she was not anorexic.
But despite Fiona’s protestations, her doctor did not run tests to establish whether she had an undiagnosed medical condition, instead interpreting her constant denials as secrecy, a trait often exhibited by anorexia sufferers.
It was only when Fiona collapsed in agony in January 2004, aged 19, and was rushed to hospital that doctors discovered she was suffering from Crohn’s disease, a chronic bowel disorder that affects the gastrointestinal tract.
12 year old wins £8m compensation payout after meningitis misdiagnosed
A budding Paralympian who lost her hands and feet after a life-threatening illness was misdiagnosed as a tummy upset was today handed a payout worth more than £7.4m after settling her damages claim.
The 12-year-old girl, from South London, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had large parts of all four of her limbs amputated in order to save her life, after suffering meningococcal septicaemia in 2002 when she was just two years old.
Her lawyers sued South London Healthcare NHS Trust, alleging that the misdiagnosis of her condition as gastroenteritis led to her losing her hands and feet.
Forced Hospital Discharge
Ten operations scheduled for today (Fri) have been postponed at Addenbrooke’s Hospital – as the norovirus outbreak appears to have to have turned a corner, with just three wards now affected by the virulent bug.
A spokesman for Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are currently facing intense pressure due to a number of factors, including delayed transfers of care, increasing demand for beds and norovirus.
Visiting times have been restricted to all adult wards to 3pm to 5pm and 7pm to 8pm in order to prevent the bug from further spreading.
Mother and baby son died from same infection ‘due to blunders by busy midwives’
A mother and her newborn baby died from the same easily treatable infection because of blunders by busy midwives.
Lisa Kerr, 33, developed septic shock four days after the birth of son Jeremiah, who was born 15 weeks premature.
He died from the same infection just a few days later.
Splitting tablets may affect dosage
“Splitting pills could lead to patients taking the wrong doses,” according to the Daily Express. The newspaper said that research into the practice showed it could be risky for drugs where the difference between a recommended and toxic dose is small.
The small study looked at typical drugs prescribed for diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, congestive heart failure, thrombosis and arthritis. Five academic volunteers split tablets into halves or quarters using three routinely used, accepted methods. The researchers found that the dose potentially given to patients when tablets were split could deviate from the recommended dose by at least 15%, and sometimes by more than 25%.
The researchers call for action to change the practice in nursing homes, where splitting drugs is routinely used. They also want drug firms to produce a range of options, including smaller or bigger dose tablets, so that splitting becomes unnecessary. Patients currently sometimes require a dose of medication that can only be provided through splitting a tablet. Increasing choice in tablet size sounds like a sensible proposal, and this research highlights the importance of taking pills according to the instructions.
Liverpool’s Alder Hey Hospital recalls 600 children for hearing tests
An investigation at Alder Hey Hospital has revealed that nine patients have been misdiagnosed by the same doctor.
600 children received hearing tests by the doctor between 2007 and 2011 and have recalled many of these back for another test.
The doctor left the hospital in April but has since been referred to the General Medical Council by the hospital.
Although there is a large recall, the trust believes the actual number of misdiagnosis cases is much lower as children were seen by at least one other doctor.
Ian Lewis, the Medical Director Professor, said in a statement: “We regret that we have become aware of a number of patients whose hearing loss had been previously undetected despite testing.
“Alder Hey has taken this incident very seriously and immediately launched a full internal investigation.
“I would like to apologise on behalf of Alder Hey for any distress caused to patients and families but would like to reassure them we will do everything possible to deal with this as quickly as possible in order to ensure their health.”
Hospital apology over death of gran
HOSPITAL bosses have apologised after a grandmother died from an infection following cancer surgery.
Alice Sawden, 68, was diagnosed with breast cancer last November and underwent a mastectomy operation, but the wound became infected.
An inquest heard that concerns were raised about delays in treatment and a breakdown in communication between staff at Pinderfields Hospital and Pontefract General Infirmary.
Mrs Sawden’s husband of 49 years, Malcolm Sawden, 73, of Pippins Green Avenue, Kirkhamgate gave evidence.
Coroner David Hinchliff asked him: “Over all, you feel that the standard of treatment your wife was given was extremely poor and you believe that had there been more positive and earlier intervention then she could have survived?”
Mr Sawden answered: “Yes.”
The hearing was told that the infection could have been caused by tubes attached to her wound being fitted incorrectly and delays in treating the infection.
Susan Clarke, chairman of surgery at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust, said: “There was a breakdown in communication between teams.”
Mrs Sawden died in Pontefract General Infirmary at 6.10am on December 22, 2010.
Mr Hinchliff recorded a narrative verdict and said earlier treatment “was desirable but it could not be established if this could have altered the outcome”.
After the hearing Prof Tim Hendra, medical director at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Mrs Sawden’s family.
“We always aim to provide the best possible care for our patients and we have been in contact with Mrs Sawden’s family regarding their concerns.
“We carried out a full and thorough investigation to identify if we could have done things differently. We recognised that there were aspects of communication and documentation that did not meet the high standard that we expect and we would like to apologise for this.
“We have completed all recommended actions that were highlighted in this investigation including reinforcing best practice in documentation as part of effective communication.
“We would welcome the opportunity to meet with Mrs Sawden’s family to discuss this and any remaining concerns they have.”
East Surrey Hospital ‘does not have enough beds for emergency patients’
ONE in five accident and emergency patients at East Surrey Hospital were kept waiting for at least four hours, according to a new report.
The Strategic Health Authority’s figures showed that between April and September, the hospital treated just 78.8 per cent of patients within four hours, compared to the 95 per cent national standard.
Michael Wilson, chief executive of Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust which runs the hospital, said: “The staff in the emergency department at East Surrey Hospital do a fantastic job in providing the care patients need in very difficult circumstances.
“It is now recognised that East Surrey Hospital does not have enough beds to cope with the number of emergency patients it sees and this means that frequently there is no bed available for patients to be transferred to once a decision to admit has been made.
“We have started a £14 million building programme which will increase the size of the emergency department by 30 per cent and increase the number of beds in the hospital.
“We are also working with our community partners as it is essential that we are able to move patients out of the hospital and into the community as soon as they no longer require hospital care.”
On Wednesday last week, the hospital was forced to divert non-life-threatening ambulance patients away from the hospital as staff struggled to cope with a high volume of patients.
One NHS source said: “I understand they discharged around 60 patients in one day, when 20 is more usual.
“You have to worry when they are discharging that many people and things are rushed.”
Mr Wilson told the Mirror that the hospital has been exceptionally busy in recent days, with high numbers of patients seeking help at the emergency department.
He said: “In order to maintain a safe environment for patients and staff, for a short period on Wednesday, in liaison with other hospitals in the area, the emergency department at East Surrey Hospital was only accepting life-threatened patients brought in by ambulance, paediatric, maternity and those who self-presented.”
A spokesman added it was not ideal that the hospital had to put on a divert and discharge patients so quickly. He added: “Only people who were medically fit were discharged, and all necessary prescriptions and social care provision would have been in place.”
Recent Payouts
Mr. X is misdiagnosed at local Hospital receives £475,000
Mr. X developed a throbbing headache and muffled hearing. Over the course of the next few days his symptoms worsened. He attended the out of hours GP clinic at his local Hospital and was seen by the Doctor who diagnosed him with otitis media and prescribed antibiotics. The following morning Mr.X fell unconscious. He was taken to Hospital where he was diagnosed with pneumococcal meningitis.
Mr T claims £825,000 for delay in treatment
Mr.T began suffering pain in his back and shoulder and went to Hospital. His condition worsened over the course of the next 48 hrs to the extent that he had no feeling or sensation from the waist downwards. One of our panel was instructed to make a claim for compensation on the basis that the MRI scan should have been undertaken earlier.
Mrs H claims £175,000 for failure to provide appropriate care
One of our panel was instructed to pursue a claim against a Primary Care Trust for failing to provide appropriate mental health care to Mrs H Husband.
Mr A claims £500,000 against GP for failing to diagnose
Mr A called his GP out to him home address on numerous occasions complaining of acute severe lower back pain. He had numbness in both legs and difficulty going to the toilet. The GP indicated he would arrange for an MRI scan. A few days later he was so concerned that his GP was failing to act promptly; he called an ambulance and was taken to hospital. An urgent MRI scan revealed that urgent surgery needed to be performed but the client was left with permanent nerve damage.
Mrs C awarded £30,000 for operation that went wrong
Mrs C underwent surgery for the removal of her gallbladder. During the procedure the she suffered an inadvertent injury to her gallbladder causing a bile leak. She had to be readmitted to hospital where an abdominal ultrasound confirmed she was suffering from a biliary leak. She underwent further surgery to allow the bile to flow. This subsequently had to be repeated on a further three occasions.
