Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2017

Kenneth Evans

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2017-0175, written 30 May 2017. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report30 May 2017
Reference2017-0175
DeceasedKenneth Evans
CoronerZafar Siddique
Coroner areaBlack Country
CategoryHospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses published1

The report

Text extracted from the PDF text layer. Reproduced verbatim, including the scan's own layout.

REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS

I Chef Executive, Dudley group of Hospitals NHS Trust
2 Chief Coroner

1

* CORONER

am Zafar Sdd que Senor Corone for the coroner area of the Black Country

2

CORONERS LEGAL POWERS

rr aks. ths report under paragraph 7 Schedule 5 of if e C roners and Justice

ct 2009

and regulabons 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investgato s Regulatons 2013

3

INVESTIGATION and INQUEST

On the 16 MarcF 2017
Kenneth Evans The nvestgabon conc uded at the end of tFe nquest on
The conclus n
f the mquest was a arrat ye concl SlO

ommenced an mvesbgator

nto the death of the late Mr
0 May 2017

Mr Evans had a fal at home aid he fratured hs p ibc amus He was adrntted to
Russells Hall hosprta on the 27 February 2017 and r
rsk assessment for developwg
lots was u ide lake i He subsequent y developed a pu monary embolus and ded on
the 11 March 20 7
im for clots and also rissed
opportuntes to admnster hepann to mm mse the
sk of develop ng a pulmonary
embolus and these were gr ss fa ures n basc med cal are g v ng nse to neglect

Ihere was a falure to nsk asses

It e ca se of deatF vas

a Pulmora y Embo us
b rimobhty
c Mecanica

a

F THE DEATH

 secondary Left Ventricular mpawment Ths s ar n- dcahon for thrombolyss
so he was given Alteplase at 17.00 and started on an IV Heparin infusion.

v) A further MET caM was put out at 17 45 as he had become pen-arrest (low

oxygen levels and hypotenson). He subsequently arrested (PEA rhythm)
requiring Advanced Life Support. The total hme without a cardiac output
was around 20 minutes before return of spontaneous circulation. He was
then admtted to the lntenstve Care Unit for or-going management

v; The next morning he needed ncreasing amounts of adrenaline and became
unstable The family had been fully informed of diagnosis. management and
his poor prognosis. After continued period of hypotension the decision was
taken to stop active treatments and focus on the patients comfort and
digmty Sadly he passed away on the 11 March 2017

5

CORONERS CONCERNS

During the course of the inquest the evidence revea{ed matters giving rise to concern, in
my opmion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken In the
crcumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you

The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows.

1. Evidence emerged during the inquest that thromboprophyiaxs was not arranged
and no effective risk assessment of deveopmg blood clots was undertaken

6

AC11ON SHOULD BE TAKEN

Ir my op non action should be taken to prevent future dea hs and believe you have the
power to ake such action

You may wish to consde sett’ng up a revew of the. ool cy and training for the
relevant staff the reqLurements for th orr boprophy axs fo pahents who are
mmoble due to a history of fal s

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°

30 May 2017

Mr Zafar Siddique
Senor Coroner
Black Country Area

Responses

1 response published against this report on judiciary.uk. A response is a body's written reply to the coroner's concerns; publication is at the discretion of the Chief Coroner's office, so an absent response does not mean nobody replied.

Response from The Dudley Group NHS Trust (PDF)
The Dudley Group

Russells Hall Hospital
Dudley
West Midlands
DY1 2HQ

Reference reg28_KE_Julyl 7

Mr Zafar Siddique, HM Coroner
Black Country Coroner’s Court
Jack Judge House
Halesowen Street
Oldbury
West Midlands
B69 2AJ

21 July2017

Dear Mr Siddique,

Regulation 28 report — Mr Kenneth Evans

The circumstances of this failure to implement our existing policy were unusual in that the
patient had been due for discharge from the acute service and because of a series of
repeated delays in his discharge plans he was subsequently transferred to an intermediate
care area of the hospital supervised by primary care physicians — Evergreen, and,
therefore, had not been reassessed for VTE prophylaxis during this prolonged discharge
journey.

The Evergreen area is an intermediate care area where patients are admitted following
discharge from the acute trust. These beds are utilised for patients who need nursing care
but who are otherwise medically fit (analogous to nursing home patients). Following this
incident we have made it clear to all staff that Evergreen is part of our services and thus
subject to our Trust policy on VTE assessments.

I have enclosed the Trusts policy for venous thromboprophylaxis (VTE)
for your
information as part of the Policy there is detail on how we monitor compliance with this
Policy (contained within Appendix 1 of the Policy).

Currently compliance in undertaking a VTE assessment for prophylaxis is at 93% for the
Trust. All members of clinical staff are trained in the assessment of patients for VTE
prophylaxis as part of their mandatory training.

 Awareness & the need for VTE assessments has been discussed with our medical teams
and following your letter to the Trust is timetabled to be raised again at the next mandatory
Medicine Audit meeting with this specific case being presented to the multidisciplinary
teams attending.

On a further note due to the changing pattern & patient demand we are reconfiguring the
Evergreen area to re-designate the beds as acute and these will be looked after by
consultant medical staff.

I hope that the above gives you confidence that whilst this failing was a result of a series
of unusual events regarding Mr Evans discharge we have taken steps to remove any
possible ambiguity in respect of undertaking a VTE assessment in accordance with our
established and audited policy for all areas of the hospital.

Yours faithfully

D Wake
Chief Executive

Enc - Trust VTE policy

Page I 2

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