Death patient's family call for urgent changes

Aug 17 2006 By The Journal

The family of a woman who died because of a system failure at a North-East hospital last night called for urgent changes to "prevent a similar tragedy happening again".

Their appeal was backed up by a patient watchdog, which said her death had highlighted concerns it had already raised with health chiefs. Yvonne Simmons, 47, a retired mental health nurse, died at Wansbeck General Hospital, Ashington, Northumberland, after a specialist failed to examine her.

Mrs Simmons, of Ashington Drive, Stakeford, Northumberland, died on March 7 last year from a rupture in a rare type of hernia in her diaphragm. An inquest in Morpeth heard that the hospital's referral system - which involved requesting a specialist surgeon by fax - had not worked.

Coroner Ian Mcqueath said he would be recommending Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust, responsible for Wansbeck General, make changes to its internal systems.

Yesterday, Janet Allan, from Thompsons Solicitors, who is representing Mrs Simmons' husband Gary, 52, and two grown-up children, said: "Northumbria Healthcare should review their procedures for surgical cover and referrals, particularly over the weekends.

"In this case a surgical review was requested, but the request was faxed and appears never to have been received so she was never reviewed by an upper gastrointestinal surgeon following the diagnosis of a hernia.

"The family's hope is that these inquest proceedings will prevent a similar tragedy ever happening again."

Fiona Sample, from watchdog the Patient and Public Involvement Forum for Northumbria Healthcare, said yesterday Mrs Simmons' death had highlighted existing concerns over staffing levels.

Mrs Sample said: "When you have low numbers of trained staff, that's when systems start to go wrong. The only way forward is for legislation to be introduced nationally to set required staffing levels."