Coventry Man pursues Clinical Negligence claim after Mother Dies Minutes after Leaving Hospital
26/05/2010
A Coventry man has spoken out about his anger following the ‘undignified death’ of his 92-year-old mother, who died minutes after being discharged from A&E after suffering a massive bleed to her heart.
Evelyn Jones, from Binley, was taken to Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry on the 15th December 2009 by her son Robin, after complaining of pains in her chest and arms.
An inquest into her death was launched and the HM Coroner for Coventry & Warwickshire was told that the results of an ECG heart monitor were not interpreted correctly. As a result the A&E doctor who treated Mrs. Jones diagnosed her as suffering from pneumonia and she was discharged with a prescription for antibiotics after midnight.
As Robin drove his mother home, Mrs. Jones collapsed in the car. He called emergency services and was told to drag his mother out of the car and onto the pavement and to attempt to resuscitate her. An ambulance arrived on the scene and rushed her back to Walsgrave Hospital but sadly she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The inquest ruled that Mrs. Jones died of natural causes and the cause of death was recorded as Haemopericardium, a Ruptured Myocardial Infarction and a Coronary Thrombosis.
Mrs. Jones' son, Robin said: "I feel my mother was treated with total disregard by the hospital staff that evening. She should have been kept in and monitored. Instead she was sent home in the early hours of a freezing cold December morning and died in an undignified manner."
Mr. Jones contacted law firm Irwin Mitchell to make a clinical negligence claim on his behalf. Mandy Luckman, who is representing Robin, said: "The hospital has since admitted in a letter to the family that Mrs Jones should not have been discharged home that evening but should have been kept in for further observation.
"It also admitted that Mrs Jones should have been seen by a senior doctor for review but at today's inquest the hospital trust revealed it had no plans to change its policy going forward and I am therefore very concerned that lessons have not been learned.
"The trust has now apologised to Robin, who understandably remains traumatised by the memories of that evening and in particular the final moments spent desperately trying to resuscitate his mother on the pavement.
"Mr Jones will be considering the evidence from today's inquest but has confirmed that he intends to take civil action against the hospital trust."
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