Death of retired farmer, 72, prompts coroner's concern over Shropshire hospital delays
Joan Freda Potts’s brother raised concerns over delays to her treatment
The brother of a “wonderful” woman who died after a hip operation has raised concerns over lengthy delays in her treatment.
Retired farmer Joan Freda Potts, aged 72, died at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on April 2 this year after contracting pancreatitis and sepsis following a hip replacement at Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) in Gobowen, near Oswestry.
An inquest into Ms Potts’s death was held at Shropshire Coroner’s Court, Guildhall, Shrewsbury on Wednesday (October 21).
The court was told Ms Potts had multiple operations on her knee over the course of 20 years, but more significant problems began after she suffered a fracture during hip replacement surgery at RJAH on January 10, 2023.
The surgeon, Richard Spencer Jones, described hearing a “crack” during the procedure, and Ms Potts ended up needing another operation later that month, before spending 51 days in hospital.
Her brother Malcolm Potts said the operation left her in a “mess” and a pain that was “different”.
Consultant orthopaedic surgeon at RJAH John-Paul Whittaker later got involved in her care in December 2024 and, after she had been suffering with pain for some time, came up with a plan.
He recommended for new bespoke prosthetics to be fitted, telling Ms Potts that it was the best plan in his opinion, with one of the alternatives being for her leg to be amputated.
Mr Whittaker gave evidence at the inquest and said test results received in May 2025 showed that she had an infection.
It wasn’t until March this year she had the operation to try and save her leg. Ms Potts then became ill with pancreatitis and died.
Nicholas Walker, senior coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, questioned the length of time it took between the discovery of the infection and the operation taking place.
“By May 2025, you knew of the infection. You knew she was in pain. We then have to wait until March this year for the operation.
“That’s something that Mr Potts is concerned about, and on the face of it, I am too. It seems like a long time to wait. Can you tell us why it took so long?”
Mr Whittaker said that multiple factors resulted in the time it took, including consulting with the prosthetics company and waiting for it to manufacture what she needed.
“The reports are often not as quick as I would like them to be,” he said. “You have to give them time to respond.”
He also said it was a complex case which required discussion with experts to come up with the best solution.
Pathologist Dr Joanna Williams, who carried out Ms Potts’s post-mortem examination, also gave evidence.
She said that from the examination she carried out and the evidence she heard at the inquest, it was likely that the pancreatitis developed in the period after her operation this year, with gall stones and “physiological stress” being part of her cause of death.
But Dr Williams said the number of operations Ms Potts had did not seem to have contributed to her death, and that she could have developed pancreatitis at any time.
Mr Walker recorded a conclusion that Ms Potts, who was from Crewe, Cheshire, died of natural causes.
“I’m not satisfied that the procedures or the delay were contributing factors in her death,” he said.
Addressing Mr Potts, Mr Walker added: “I want to thank you and pass on my condolences.”
After the hearing, Mr Potts said: “She was a hard-working, nice person. She was wonderful.”