King's Mill stroke victim died when neighbouring trusts refused life-saving treatment

Staff at King's Mill Hospital have been praised by a coroner for their efforts to assist a critically ill woman who later died.

Patient Teresa Dennett, 58, was admitted to the hospital on February 6 last year suffering from a rare type of stroke but died while doctors were trying to find her an intensive care bed.

Ms Dennett, from Sutton, was first diagnosed as having had a stroke, but scans showed she could sudden deterioration, requiring neurosurgery to relieve pressure.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However, repeated attempts by a registrar at King’s Mill to transfer her first to Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical and later to a hospital in Sheffield failed.

Staff in Nottingham advised that no intensive care beds were available for Ms Dennett and said King’s Mill staff should continue to observe her condition.

Doctors were then told to ask Sheffield Teaching Hospital to take Ms Dennett - but while doctors there were willing, a consultant insisted she should be treated in Nottingham.

In her report to NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens following an inquest into Ms Dennett’s death, assistant Notts coroner Heidi Connor said: “Crucially, it was clear there was no written protocol in place to set out a clear pathway for referral for emergency neurosurgery.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The medical registrar at King’s Mill Hospital was left trying to broker a deal with multiple neurosurgery units and valuable time was lost in this process. There is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken”.

She also concluded that if swifter action had been taken, there was every chance that Ms Dennett would have survived.

In desperation, an on-call stroke doctor was contacted and it was agreed that Ms Dennett should be transferred to Nottingham.

But by then it was too late and Ms Dennett had deteriorated too much for surgery, and died later that morning.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sherwood Forest Hospitals Medical Director Dr Andy Haynes said: “This a very sad and tragic case and should never have happened.

“The coroner rightly praised our medical registrar for doing all he could to facilitate a very difficult situation.

“Our actions have not been called into question, however we will of course work collaboratively with other trusts cited by the coroner to improve care for all patients served by the NHS.”

The coroner has now issued a Preventing Future Death Notice to Nottingham Universities NHS Trust and to Sheffield Teaching Hospital.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Dr Stephen Fowlie, medical director of the Nottingham trust, said: “We extend our condolences to Ms Dennett’s family and apologise that we were unable to transfer her to our specialist unit immediately to consider surgery.

“We are working with partner hospitals to ensure more effective emergency care and transfers to specialist units in this diagnosis.”

Related topics: