Neglect at Sandwell hospital contributed to pensioner's death, inquest hears
Neglect at Sandwell General Hospital did contribute to the tragic death of a pensioner, an inquest heard.
Frank Hayward ‘may not have died’ if hospital staff had spotted the 83-year-old was suffering a bleed to the brain and fractured neck after a fall, an inquest heard.
His health ‘significantly deteriorated’ during his four-week hospital stay, with medics placing him on a surgical ward due to a lack of available beds, Black Country Coroner’s Court heard.
Speaking after the inquest, his family said they feared care at the hospital would not improve and vowed to continue with their battle against Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust.
Daughter Carolyn Mullins added: “It does not end here, we will still fight this. We were robbed of being with him on the day he died.
"I’m sure if he had been treated properly, he would have been seeing his granddaughter getting married in April.”
Mr Haywood was rushed to the hospital following a fall at his Rowley Regis home on November 12 last year.
Coroner Mr Zafar Siddique said there were ‘failures’ when staff did not diagnose his bleed to the brain following a CT scan.
There was also a ‘missed opportunity’ to identify the former sheet metal worker had fractured his neck, the coroner added.
Mr Haywood’s health deteriorated during his stay, contracting Norovirus and falling from his bed.
He died before family, who had been warned to stay away after an outbreak of the infection, got to the hospital on December 10.
Mr Siddique recorded a conclusion of accidental death, contributed to by neglect, yesterday.
He said: “He may not have died when he did. There was a gross failure. It seems to me, on the evidence available, the failures and delay to diagnose the fracture and the bleed did more than minimally or trivially contribute to the death.”
Mr Siddique said he was ‘still concerned’ over a three-day delay in CT scan results, and will now write to the trust. He also criticised staff for not providing Mr Haywood with a neck collar, forcing his family to scour the internet.
The coroner added: “There were a catalogue of issues. The systems in place were inadequate at the time. “
Chief Nurse Elaine Newell said: “We are very sorry for the death of Frank Hayward and would like to offer our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
"We recognise that we missed opportunities to make Frank more comfortable whilst he was in hospital, and should have identified the extent of his injury whilst he was in our emergency department.
"We are adding to the documentation for the management of head injuries to ensure all necessary tests are done as a matter of urgency, and are sharing the learning from his experience with colleagues across the trust."
