Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2014

Prevention of Future Deaths report 2014-0397

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2014-0397, written 9 Sep 2014. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report9 Sep 2014
Reference2014-0397
CategoryHospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Organisation namedStockport NHS Foundation Trust
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses publishednone published

The report

Text recovered by OCR from a scanned PDF. OCR is imperfect: check anything you rely on against the source PDF. Reproduced verbatim, including the scan's own layout.

REGULATION 28: REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS

REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS

THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO: SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HEALTH

CORONER

| am John Pollard, senior coroner, for the coroner area of South Manchester

CORONER’S LEGAL POWERS

| make this report under paragraph 7, Schedule 5, of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009
and regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013

INVESTIGATION and INQUEST

On THE 9" April 2014 | commenced an investigation into the death of Joyce Nelson
born 17" August 1919. The investigation concluded on the 21° August 2014 and the
conclusion was one of Accidental Death. The medical cause of death was 1a
Bronchopneumonia 1b Traumatic pelvic fractures, congestive cardiac failure due
to atrial fibrillation, mitral and tricuspid regurgitation and pulmonary hypertension
11. Chronic kidney disease

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH
Just before midnight on the 7" March 2014 she fell at her home address and
fractured her pelvis in several places.

CORONER’S CONCERNS

During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern. In
my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken. In the
circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you.

The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows. —

1. She was admitted to the Emergency Department at Stepping Hill Hospital
shortly after midnight yet was not assessed by a doctor until 04.10 hours. |
was told that the Department was fully staffed but there is a national
shortage of Doctors specialising in emergency medicine.

2. Chest and hip X-rays were carried out but the results were not
documented by the doctor who was simply too busy to do so.

3. Patient was to be discharged (even though it was later shown that she had
a multi-fractured pelvis).

4. There were very considerable delays in reporting the imaging results, and
| was told that this is due to a national shortage of Radiologists.

IT SEEMS THEREFORE THAT THERE IS A NATIONAL SHORTAGE OF THE
VERY DOCTORS WHO THIS PATIENT NEEDED, AND THIS SHORTAGE
LED TO DELAYS IN TREATMENT WHICH WERE UNACCEPTABLE AND
DELETERIOUS TO THE PATIENT’S HEALTH.

ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN

In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and | believe you have the
power to take such action.

YOUR RESPONSE

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report,
namely by 4" November 2014. |, the coroner, may extend the period.

Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out
the timetable for action. Otherwise you must explain why no action is proposed.

COPIES and PUBLICATION

| have sent a copy of my report to the Chief Coroner and to the following Interested
Persons name) TSON OF THE DECEASED). | have also sent it to The

Chief Executive, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust who may find it useful or of
interest.

| am also under a duty to send the Chief Coroner a copy of your response.

The Chief Coroner may publish either or both in a complete or redacted or summary
form. He may send a copy of this report to any person who he believes may find it useful
or of interest You may make representations to me, the coroner, at the time of your
response, the release or the publication of your response by the Chief Coroner.

9/9/14 John Pollard, HM Senior Coroner

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