CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE BY ALISHA BUTLER , PHOENIX LEGAL
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CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE BY ALISHA BUTLER , PHOENIX LEGAL
On 9th August 2022 , my mum , Carmel Ward , died from multiple organ failure , as a result of Sepsis .
Towards the end of July 2022 , a piece of wood fell on my mum ’ s foot and over the next day or so her foot started to bruise and become sore . She thought she had broken her toe and , being a nurse since she left school , she didn ’ t want to take up time and resources from the NHS knowing that they couldn ’ t really do anything for a broken toe .
Over the following week , her foot started to swell and go darker in colour and became so painful that she could barely walk . On 27th July 2022 , the pain in her foot , having expended from her ankle to her knee , became so bad , was severe . She started to physically shake and cry and was clammy . Luckily her friend Ruth was with her as was my sister and they both insisted that she went to Hospital as they thought that she had Sepsis . We knew it was bad , because she agreed to go , she would never go to Hospital , unless she was in extreme pain or desperate need for help . My father took her to the A & E Department of Arrowe Park Hospital , she never came home .
She got there around 4.30pm and my father recalls her telling triage that she thought she had sepsis . She was told to sit in the waiting room and over the next 7hrs she sat patiently in that waiting room , until eventually she was seen . She repeated again that she thought she had Sepsis , and my father says that the clinician went away and got someone who he believed was more senior to come and see her . They pressed on her leg to see if the indentation on her leg came back out . She was sent for an X-ray at around 11.30pm and I now know that when she went for that X-ray , she seen an old work colleague , who was working in X-ray , and who would later message me , after her death , to tell me that her foot was “ so discoloured ” and that she could not believe that they never screened her for sepsis and it “ should have been so bloody obvious ”. That message would hit me like a punch to the stomach , but I was grateful for it as it would later support my claim for negligence against the hospital for their failure to treat my mum with antibiotics in the first 36 hours that she was there , despite the clear signs of sepsis .
My mum was given a bed at 4am nearly 12hrs after arriving in A & E and the following day , my birthday , I went to see her . Whilst I there she was seen by one of the Orthopaedic team who told her that he thought she had an infection in her knee and so they were going to aspirate her knee to find out . Having the experience that I do , working in Clinical Negligence for over 20 years , I went into automatic mode , and started a diary of what was happening , who said what , when , and what treatment she was being given . Sadly , despite it being 2022 , we were told that we could not visit our mum as someone on the ward had covid . Those days that we were not allowed to see her , we will never get back , that time is lost . By the time we were allowed to see my mum again , it was too late , her organs had started to fail , and we were told that she only had 48 hours left to live . She died on 9th August 2022 at 16.10pm surrounded by her family .
Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection and includes any of the following symptoms : blotchy , blackening skin , a rash that does not fade , slurred speech or not making sense , and breathing difficulties . Some people are at a higher risk of developing sepsis because they are at higher risk of contracting an infection which can develop into sepsis , including those who , like my mum , have diabetes .
Shockingly , approximately 11 million people die of sepsis each year globally and 5 people die from sepsis every hour in the UK , this is more than breast , bowel and prostate cancer combined . For many patients , with early diagnosis it is easily treatable . The main treatment for sepsis is antibiotics and they should be started within an hour of diagnosis . Without antibiotics infection can spread to other parts of the body if the immune system is weak or an infection is severe . Widespread inflammation can damage tissue and interfere with blood flow . This can lead to blood pressure dropping dangerously low which stops oxygen from reaching the organs and tissues .
I have dealt with many claims against the NHS for sepsis survivors who have lost limbs and / or their sight as a result of delayed treatment of sepsis , as well as for families who , like us , have lost a loved one as a result of delayed treatment . In 2019 I secured a settlement of £ 3.5 million on behalf of a client who lost both his sight and his arm as a result of a delayed diagnosis of sepsis . He was 45 years of age and was married with two young children , when he became ill and , like my mum , went to the hospital he worked in , for treatment , and they also failed to diagnose sepsis . My client was a lovely lively , family man who loved to watch rugby and his daughter dance . After losing his sight he become severely depressed , withdrawn and angry , as anyone would . He could no longer be on his own and his wife had to give up work to help care for him . The impact of the Hospital ’ s negligence was far reached affecting not only him , but his wife , his daughters , and his extended family and friends .
It is upsetting when some people try to shame people that make claims against the NHS , saying that the money given in compensation would be better spent on the NHS itself , but what many do not understand is that the compensation is not money “ out of the NHS ”, it is paid through a scheme much like an insurance that each hospital takes out to cover such claims . People also often don ’ t understand the long-lasting impact that a hospital ’ s negligence can have on a person or family , left behind , having lost their loved one . I cannot drive past Arrowe park without getting palpitations and I can never imagine stepping foot in there again . My dad has lost his wife , his best friend and his happiness , and my siblings and I have lost our mum . My dad has been robbed of the chance to live out his retirement with the woman he loved , and my nieces and nephews have lost their loving grandmother , all because the treating clinicians would not listen to a retired nurse when she told them , several times , that she believed she had sepsis .
No amount of money can bring my mum back and my client would have given his £ 3.5 million back if it meant getting his sight , arm and life back . People who make claims do not do it for the money . They do it for answers and apologies , the money is just a by product that helps them put their life back together , but for those who have lost loved ones , it feels like blood money , but it is all we get as all too often an apology is never given . If you or anyone you know has suffered from a clinical negligence , I can help you get the answers you deserve .
Email me at ab @ phoenixlegalsolicitors . co . uk or call 0151 306 3694
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