Serious incidents revealed at Shropshire hospitals
Three serious incidents at the county’s major hospitals were reported last month – two of which involved patient deaths.
The details of the incidents are contained in Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust’s Quality and Governance report for May. The report was being considered by the trust’s board today.
One involved surgery, another a fall, and the third a diagnostic.
The report outlines that there will be an inquest in relation to the death following the fall.
It states: “On March 19 the patient sustained a fall which resulted in a head injury. The patient subsequently died on April 2.”
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The report also states that the coroner has been informed about the death relating to a diagnostic delay, citing “missed opportunities”.
It says the patient was a 79-year-old man who was brought by ambulance to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital’s emergency department at 2am with a history of abdominal pain and distended abdomen, which had been developing over the previous two days.
The report states: “He was assigned a trolley space on the corridor due to capacity and activity within the department and what was considered a stable set of observations, he was alert and had not required further analgesia.
“Observations were maintained four hourly and were stable, EWS (early warning score) reduced to one.
“The patient was seen by a trust grade doctor at approximately six hours after arriving in the department.
“He was referred to the surgical team with possible bowel obstruction at approximately eight hours after arrival, who saw the patient promptly.
“A CT scan was completed at approximately 11.30am (nine and a half hours after attendance in the department).
“The patient suffered a collapse shortly after return to the emergency department and resuscitation commenced.
“He briefly responded to emergency treatment, but then deteriorated and treatment was withdrawn at 12.35pm.
“It cannot be known if the patient would have survived surgical intervention, but on review, it is felt there were missed opportunities to diagnose the AAA earlier.
“The Coroner has been informed.”
