Latest news with #hospitalnegligence
BreakingNews.ie
23-07-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (91) died after week-long delay in detecting swallowed dentures
The HSE has issued an apology to the family of a 91-year-old man who died with choking complications after a hospital took a week to act on an x-ray which revealed that he had swallowed dentures. At a sitting of the High Court in Cork on Wednesday, Ms Justice Carmel Stewart also approved an award of €55,000 to the family of Daniel O'Leary, late of Knockbrack, Banteer in Co Cork. Advertisement Mr O'Leary was a resident at Kanturk Community Hospital in Co Cork. The High Court heard that at 11:25am on July 26th, 2022, Mr O'Leary started coughing whilst sitting in a chair. The pensioner also complained of something being stuck in his throat. Mr O'Leary was uncomfortable and holding his hands to his throat. His partial bottom denture of two teeth was missing. Staff rushed to his assistance and Mr O'Leary was transferred by ambulance to University Hospital Limerick. Paramedics informed doctors that the elderly man had possibly inhaled a denture consisting of two lower teeth. He was examined in the A&E department and a number of x rays carried out showed no evidence of the dentures or any foreign body. Mr O'Leary was admitted to hospital. Advertisement He was further assessed the following day and again a doctor found no evidence that his upper airway was obstructed. A diagnosis of respiratory sepsis was made on a background of likely aspiration due to impaired swallow. Mr O'Leary was given fluids and antibiotics intravenously. He also received oxygen therapy He was was subsequently assessed on July 29th, 2022, and appeared to be improving. He remained in hospital over the bank holiday weekend with his care being taken over by a consultant physician and geriatrician on August 2nd, 2022. Ms Justice Carmel Stewart was told that a chest x ray carried out on his arrival at hospital on July 26th was only reported on July 30th. It showed 'multiple linear densities in the upper neck, likely reflecting a foreign body'. Advertisement The High Court was told that there was no evidence that the report on that x ray had been seen or acted on by medics in the hospital until the consultant geriatrician came on duty on August 2nd, 2022. A CT scan carried out on August 3rd, did not detect any foreign body in Mr O'Leary's neck or thorax. However, later that day nursing staff carried out a suctioning procedure on the patient detected dentures in his left hypo-pharynx —in the lowest part of his throat. The ENT team removed the dentures on August 4th, 2022, nine days after the pensioner was taken to hospital. Mr O'Leary continued to deteriorate physically and his care became palliative in nature. He was brought back to Kanturk Community Hospital where he passed away peacefully on August 12th, 2022. Advertisement Eamon Shanahan, solicitor, representing the family of the deceased said that they had received an apology from the HSE. In the apology they acknowledged the delay in the review of the relevant x ray. 'The hospital has learned from the incident and has implemented the recommendation identified by the coroner at the inquest. We wish to apologise for the failings in the care provided and for the distress and upset that this has caused.' In effect there was a week between the x ray, which showed a potential blockage, and when it was acted upon. Ms Justice Stewart extended her condolences to the family of the deceased. Advertisement Ireland Former TD Colm Keaveney banned from driving for fo... Read More "Your father had a long and fruitful life,' she said. 'There is never a good time to lose a loved one, or to endure the trauma he endured. It doesn't bear thinking about. Hopefully you can put this behind you and reflect on the good times.' Mr O'Leary was predeceased by his wife Nan. He is survived by his adult children John, Margaret, Donal and Deirdre, his eight grandchildren, and two great grand children. The O'Leary family expressed their appreciation for the care given to their father in his final years at Kanturk Community Hospital.
Daily Mail
21-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Mother of six-year-old boy who ‘killed a newborn on French maternity ward' had been told twice to keep an eye on her child but he continued to roam unsupervised, victim's family claims
The family of the newborn killed after being allegedly dropped by a six-year-old left to roam a French maternity ward alone have claimed that they had spoken to the child's mother twice telling her to keep an eye on him. Five-day-old Baby Zayneb-Cassandra was found lying unresponsive on the floor beside her crib with a traumatic brain injury at the Jeanne-de-Flandre Children's Hospital in the northern city of Lille, France, on Friday, July 11 and died from her injuries last Tuesday. A boy, whose mother was in the maternity war, was found standing on a chair beside her and is believed to have plucked the tiny baby from her crib and dropped her on the floor. Karima, a cousin of Zayneb's grieving father has claimed that hospital staff were 'warned' of the child's 'abnormal behaviour' and that the baby's grandfather had spoken to the boy's mother two times, urging her to keep an eye on her son. She also alleged that the boy had fixated on Zayneb, calling her 'my doll', and had likely touched her unsupervised a day prior to her fall. 'The day before, Zayneb had already been found without a diaper or electrodes, wet and suffering from hypothermia,' Karima claimed. When the family notified the hospital of this, they claimed that they were told by staff that the baby must have taken her diapers off herself. Baby Zayneb's grieving father Mohamed-Hamza told French press that he will 'fight to identify those responsible' for the tragedy Baby Zayneb, who was born six weeks premature by caesarean to parents Mohamed-Hamza and Sephora, was resuscitated twice before she died last week. Lille's prosecutor's office on Friday confirmed that the infant died from trauma 'consistent with a fall to the floor'. 'A six-year-old child, a member of another family, was indeed seen near the crib and the child on the floor,' prosecutors also confirmed. Zayneb's family are also urging other witnesses to come forward, with Karima explaining that what Zayneb's mother doesn't want 'is for people to think that she left her child unattended,' when she 'entrusted her to the hospital staff'. The boy and the baby were discovered by Delphine, a young woman who had recently given birth herself, who rushed into the room after hearing what she described as a 'loud bang'. Delphine later told Le Parisien that the boy in question had been disruptive for days and was not being supervised as his mother was also recovering from giving birth. 'He was running around everywhere and had already touched a baby in a stroller,' Delphine said. Questions are mounting as to how the boy was able to gain access to Zayneb's crib in the neonatal unit alone, despite being reported as a 'disruptive presence' in the hospital. Karima explained how the boy was running riot in the halls for days after being dropped off at the hospital each morning by his father. 'The father would drop him off in the ward from 7am to 8pm,' she said. Mohamed-Hamza's cousin Karima alleged that the six-year-old boy had fixated on Zayneb, calling her 'my doll', and had likely touched her unsupervised a day prior to her fall Zayneb's grandmother, Fatma, told the Voix du Nord newspaper: 'The boy would arrive at 7am and spend all day running up and down the hallways. 'All the mothers were complaining, and a nurse even warned the child's mother that there was a problem. He was entering the other rooms. 'He also entered Zayneb's room for the first time. He said she looked like a doll, and my husband, who was there, took him out.' 'It seems he tried to grab her by her nappy, and she fell on her head,' Fatma concluded. 'My family is destroyed... My daughter is devastated. Coming home without her baby is inconceivable.' Zayneb's distraught father, Mohamed-Hamza, told Le Parisien he doesn't blame the boy who allegedly caused his daughter's life-ending injuries, but hit out at the hospital for their lack of care. 'Every six-year-old is a little disruptive. I don't blame the mother; she had just given birth... But the child should have been supervised,' the 23-year-old declared. Fatma added that she had to push medical staff to arrange psychological support for her inconsolable daughter-in-law after she was informed her child had died. A criminal investigation into the tragedy was opened this week by the juvenile unit of the Lille Judicial Police Service, in conjunction with local prosecutors. The hospital also announced the opening of 'an internal administrative investigation'. A spokesperson said: 'This human tragedy has deeply affected the staff and teams of Lille University Children's Hospital, as well as the other families present.' A separate statement provided to French press acknowledged 'a particularly serious and upsetting exceptional event, unrelated to care'. 'The thoughts of the University Hospital professionals are first and foremost with the young victim, her family, and her loved ones,' it read. The hospital also added that 'measures to strictly limit visits to the neonatal units of the Lille University Hospital have been taken as a precautionary measure'. Mohamed-Hamza and Sephora have not yet filed an official complaint, but dismissed the statement. 'It won't bring my daughter back... But we're waiting for answers. There was a breach, and I'm going to fight to identify those responsible.
BBC News
20-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Baby died in Scarborough 'after midwives dismissed concerns'
Midwives "dismissed" the concerns of a mother whose baby died shortly after being born, her lawyers have Parker, 27, told staff at Scarborough General Hospital about her son Sonny's heart rate slowing during labour in November 2022, but said she was "ignored".She said: "I went into hospital with a perfectly healthy baby after a great pregnancy with no issues or concerns, but left without a baby to take home and raise."The York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust apologised to Sonny's family and said it had implemented changes. Medical negligence specialists Hudgell Solicitors said that soon after arriving at hospital, Ms Parker was told that her baby would need to be induced because he was "on the larger side".It was alleged that medication used to make her womb contract should have been stopped four hours before it was potentially harmful to Sonny, the firm said, because his heart rate was slowing with every to the firm, the Trust admitted the allegation on 5 July and also accepted Sonny's death may have been prevented if a decision to deliver him was made more than 90 minutes before it was. 'Absolutely devastating' In a statement issued by the solicitors, Ms Parker said the experience was "heartbreaking"."My mum was with me when I was in labour and she was looking at the heart rate monitor and calling the midwives using the call button as she could see it dropping," she said."We were concerned but every time the midwives would come and say not to worry, and that they were checking it from their station, and so didn't need calling. It made us feel like we were being a nuisance."She said each physical examination became more painful, and she could tell something was wrong after Sonny was delivered because a midwife had tears in her eyes."There was no crying at all and I could hear a lot of activity, but nobody was saying anything," she said."To lose Sonny was absolutely devastating. It sounds an awful thing to say, but if I could go back, I would have taken the option to have had him delivered by Caesarean section, as I don't feel midwives can be trusted." Ms Parker criticised the communication she received by NHS services following the death of her son."About a week after, I received a message from the doctor's surgery congratulating me on the birth of my baby," she said."I just cried when I opened it. When I went for my post-birth check-up, the doctor had no idea Sonny had died."Ms Parker and her partner have now had a baby girl, who was born in said their daughter "really got us through all the difficult days".Medical negligence specialist Samantha Gardner, of Hudgell Solicitors, said the case was "wholly avoidable".She added: "Over the years our lawyers have seen hundreds of apologies to parents who have suffered loss and injury due to maternity negligence, and presently, we're seeing more than ever."In June, a national inquiry was announced into maternity Gardner welcomed the investigation, adding that it "must be driven by the experiences of patients, families and staff". 'Appropriate steps' A spokesperson for the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust offered "sincere condolences and apologies to Sonny's family".They said they "fully acknowledge how devastating the loss of a child is".A statement added: "The family has since met with our obstetric and paediatric teams."Sonny's case was referred to the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB), and we accepted and acted on the safety recommendations outlined in their report. We have also fully co-operated with the coroner's inquiry."The inquest concluded that there was an opportunity for Sonny to have been delivered earlier, which the spokesperson said was noted by the said: "The coroner was satisfied and reassured that the Trust is taking appropriate steps to implement changes to clinical guidelines and deliver a range of improvements in maternity care." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Sun
17-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Grandad ‘suffocated to death' on trolley in front of his wife and daughter in ‘chaotic' A&E corridor after 18-hour wait
GRAHAM Millward "suffocated to death" on a trolley in an A&E corridor in front of his wife and daughter. The grandad had been deprived of oxygen at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital following an 18-hour wait outside in an ambulance receiving area. 2 2 "My father did not deserve this," Paula Millward, 60, said. "He was deprived of a dignified passing and I was forced to watch him take his final breaths." An inquest heard the 87-year-old had been admitted to the hospital on January 9 this year after paramedics were called to his nursing home in Wellington, Shropshire. But on arrival at the hospital, there was no room on a ward, so Graham was forced to wait in the ambulance receiving area for a shocking 18 hours. Paula, from Telford said when he was finally taken to A&E, there was still no cubicle ready and staff failed to attach his oxygen properly, leaving him "gasping for air." The retired welder never made it onto a ward for further treatment and died on a hospital trolley inside the busy A&E department. Paula said she was then forced to watch her dad's final gasps for air after bungling hospital staff failed to reattach his oxygen. She said the distress the event has caused is "unforgivable." "He had been poorly and he had been in and out of hospital, but we fully expected him to be coming home and the hospital report confirmed he should have," she explained. "He spent an hour on the ambulance on arrival before being taken to the ambulance receiving area, which is basically a glorified porter cabin. "He was given oxygen, but when he was finally moved 18 hours later, they didn't attach the pipe properly and he still had the face mask on, so it restricted his breathing more. Boy, 6, 'kills premature newborn baby after dropping infant on floor like a doll when left to roam maternity unit' "He should have been taken to resus, but instead he was taken to a cubicle, which was already occupied. "So instead he was in a corridor surrounded by chaos in a busy A&E department, with no dignity at all. "I said to a nurse 'Is my dad OK?' and she took one look at him and said they needed to get screens around him straight away. "We basically had to watch him gasping for air before he suffocated to death in front of us. She added: "My sister and his granddaughter who live away were robbed of the time to get to him. "He was a lovely family man and very popular. So many people turned out for his funeral but the way he was treated was unforgivable." Shropshire Coroner's Court heard Graham's death was "more likely than not" sped up by a lack of oxygen therapy. How oxygen therapy works and why it's critical Oxygen therapy is a medical treatment that provides extra oxygen to patients who have difficulty breathing or low blood oxygen levels. It helps ensure vital organs like the brain and heart receive enough oxygen to function properly. Oxygen is usually delivered through masks or nasal tubes connected to oxygen tanks or hospital pipelines. Proper fitting and continuous delivery are essential because even brief interruptions or poor attachment can leave patients gasping for air. For people with conditions like pneumonia, chronic lung disease, or severe infections, oxygen therapy can be life-saving. Delays or failures in providing oxygen increase the risk of serious complications and can hasten death, making it a critical part of hospital care. Source: NHS and British Thoracic Society The grandfather-of-one had been "in and out" of Princess Royal Hospital and had a number of medical conditions, including pneumonia. But his death was "hastened" due to the failure to provide oxygen, meaning they were "robbed" of the chance to say their goodbyes. 'Hastened his passing' A statement from a doctor at the hospital was read to the coroner's court. He said there was a failure to deliver oxygen therapy when it should have been given, and that it was "more likely than not" the error would have caused Graham's "distress" and "hastened his passing". John Ellery, senior coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, recorded a narrative conclusion that Graham's death was of natural causes, hastened with additional distress. Dr John Jones, medical director at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust, said: "We would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Graham and apologise for the care he received. "We are committed to providing the best possible care and we are taking action to address the findings of a full internal investigation, including a review of the staff training for the transfer of patients receiving bottled oxygen.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Norfolk hospital 'failed to monitor' overdose patient
Hospital staff failed to properly monitor a woman who died from cardiac arrest following an overdose, a coroner has at the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston, Norfolk, also did not realise Susan Young had unused medication in her belongings when she died in August Yvonne Blake said instructions to make sure the 63-year-old was attached to cardiac monitoring were not passed on when she was moved from an emergency to the hospital she said she wanted to know what action it would take to prevent similar deaths in the future. The hospital has been approached for comment. An inquest heard Miss Young had previously suffered various cardiac problems, including a heart took an overdose of prescription medicine for her epilepsy on 22 August, then another the following day – after which she was taken to Ms Blake said while Miss Young's heart was monitored appropriately in the emergency department, nursing staff "did not give any handover and certainly no instructions about cardiac monitoring" when she was transferred to another was later found unresponsive and attempts to resuscitate her coroner said Miss Young had a chance to take another overdose, as staff found more of her medication in her belongings after she it was not known if she had taken more James Paget has until 20 August to tell the coroner what plans of action it has put in place. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
