18-hour delay for fall OAP’s X-ray

A coroner has criticised Royal Oldham Hospital’s poor staff communications following a family’s questions about possible negligence.

Theresa Featherstone (81) was admitted to the Royal Oldham Hospital on 21 June, suffering shortness of breath and bowel problems following a diagnosis of lung and bowel cancer and bronchial pneumonia in May.

Mrs Featherstone suffered a fall in the early hours of 22 June in the Acute Medical Unit, fracturing her right hip. An X-ray wasn’t ordered until up to 18 hours later.

Consultant pathologist Dr Alan Padwell said the cause of death was bronchial pneumonia, and there were tumours near her right kidney and in both lungs.

Daughter Gail Andrews said the family hadn’t been told about the pneumonia, and said: “My mum went through tremendous pain all the time she was in hospital. There were lots of failings. I just feel if mum hadn’t gone into hospital when she did, she would still be here.”

Vanessa Genesis, the ward matron, said there was a lack of communication between the family, doctor and nursing staff. As well as poor notes on the part of the nurses, she said there was also a shortage of staff on the night.

When assistant coroner Lisa Hashmi raised concerns, Ms Genesis said: “That’s something we need to be looking at” but that measures had been taken to ensure a similar incident wouldn’t recur.

Dr Shubhra Pradhan, the clinical lead responsible for the investigation, said a junior doctor on duty that night hadn’t requested an x-ray, believing “naively” that the morning team would pick it up. As a result consultant physician Bashir Rameh was unaware Mrs Featherstone had fractured her hip.

Dr Pradhan added that the communication was “sub optimal and documentation was poor” and added: “I wasn’t involved in the care but listening to the information and listening to your comments, I can only apologise from the AMU.”

Mrs Featherstone’s illnesses made her unfit for surgery and she died on 28 June.

Mrs Hashmi recorded a narrative verdict of natural causes, and that the delay in diagnosis of the broken hip might have contributed to the death.