Wansbeck Hospital criticised after mother dies

Sep 12 2009 by David Black, The Journal

RELATIVES of an elderly woman have raised serious concerns over the quality of her hospital care in the weeks leading up to her death.

Jean Arthur, 89, died in Wansbeck General Hospital from heart and kidney failure in August last year – two months after she was admitted as an emergency patient.

Now her son Robert, 58, told an inquest of his alarm over alleged deficiencies in her hospital care, which he believes could have contributed to her death.

Mr Arthur, who lived with his mother in Elsdon near Rothbury, Northumberland, claims hospital staff did not do enough to ensure she was getting sufficient nutrition, with family members repeatedly finding food untouched and out of her reach during visits.

He claims medication was used to sedate his mother, contrary to the family’s wishes, and says a catheter and dressings to an arm wound were not changed frequently enough.

Mr Arthur also claims her medication was not administered properly by staff.

Following the Morpeth inquest into his mother’s death he said: “I believe my mother’s care was not professional, humane or acceptable. While I accept that medical staff work under tremendous pressure, it is my opinion that staff and management at Wansbeck General fell short of the required standard.

“They accepted the inevitability of my mother’s death and totally ignored the simplest of medical procedures, routine care and daily attention that patients in her position deserve. It does, however, seem that things have now been put in place to help safeguard patients.”

North Northumberland coroner Tony Brown, who recorded a narrative verdict, said the Northumbria Healthcare Trust had acknowledged there were shortcomings in some aspects of Mrs Arthur’s care. He said he felt it was “very unlikely” that problems in getting her to have sufficient food had contributed significantly to her death.

However, he would write and ask the trust to “actively consider” the regime for feeding patients at the hospital to see if it can be improved.

Steve Russell, director of medicine and emergency care at the Trust, last night said: “We have apologised to Mr Arthur for any shortcomings there may have been in the standards of care his mother received, and would reiterate these sentiments again. And we will, of course, consider the coroner’s request and whether any action is needed.”

Mr Russell said the trust had greatly improved food and nutrition standards and added: “We have also employed three nutrition nurses to work with hospital dieticians, implemented protected meal-times and appointed nutrition champions.”