In an act of carelessness, nurses at a hospital (Walsall Manor Hospital) failed to replace an IV drip from a cancer-stricken patient for 2 days. The omission led to his death, reports say.
George Griffin initially had dehydration-related problems before his visit to the hospital where the IV drip was used in draining excess fluid from his body system. The excess fluid in his body made it very difficult for him to breath and thereby putting pressure on his heart.
The father-of-one died of heart attack.
It is a shock that the said drip was removed but not replaced by the hospital staff.
His widow has accepted the loss but the sadness can’t be erased. Joyce said: “We have really struggled to come to terms with George’s death as it was so unexpected.
“We were married for 47 years and he was my best friend – it is very difficult for us to be without him.
“I have lost all faith in the hospital and even though it is the closest one to me I would never willingly go back there.”
The family reached an agreement to settle the case out of court but the widow said she is “incredibly upset the NHS Trust did not admit responsibility for any element of George’s care or death”.
“We hope highlighting the problems he had at the hospital will ensure lessons are learned and no other families will have to be put through such a horrific ordeal.”
A lawyer handling the case at Irwin Mitchell named Eleanor Parkin explained that “it is disappointing the NHS Trust did not make any admissions as to the problems with his treatment, prolonging the legal battle and the pain and suffering Joyce and his family have been through over the past four years.”
Amir Khan is a medical director at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust.
On behalf of the NHS Trust, he said: “We would like to express our sympathy to the Griffin family and offer our sincere condolences for the loss that they have suffered.
“The Trust always endeavors to provide the highest quality of care to all of its patients.”
REVELATION:
Reports said, “a watchdog found the pensioner was given too much fluid over a 48-hour period and noted a delay in replacing the IV tube, which led to fluid management complications.”
