A father-of-three whose wife died after seven different medics misdiagnosed her blood clot as cramp has received a six-figure payout from the NHS.
Alison Taylor, 29, was told she could not have an ultrasound at a hospital, which would have saved her life, because it was a weekend. The nurse feared she was suffering from deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after the birth of her daughter Yvie-Mae on March 15, 2010.
Shockingly, she saw four midwives, a hospital doctor, her GP and a trainee GP over a period of 16 days before she collapsed and died on March 31.
An inquest found the young mother died from a pulmonary embolism caused by DVT in one of her legs which was caused by her pregnancy.
Alison's husband Darren Taylor, 39, said his wife 'knew something was wrong' after she gave birth to Yvie-Mae, who is now six. She was referred to Leicester Royal Infirmary on March 20, 2010 but the doctor who saw her didn't follow the hospital's guidelines on investigating suspected DVT. Alison - who worked at the same hospital in the childrens' outpatients ward - was also told ultrasound scans were not provided at weekends.
Darren has now received a substantial pay-out from the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust after winning a medical negligence claim. The removal worker said the seven-year legal battle had left him unable to grieve.
Darren, who lives in Braunstone, Leicester, with his and Alison's three children Ellise, 14, Christopher, 12, and Yvie-Mae, added: “I am relieved this is all over.
'It has been a long, hard seven years but I am happy we have got the NHS to own up and the trust says lessons have been learnt. Alison was a healthcare assistant so she was very aware of the risks of DVT. But the doctors seemed quite dismissive of her symptoms. When we went on the Saturday we were told they couldn't do a scan because it was a weekend. I later found out she would have had a scan straight away if we had gone to the A&E department. If they had done what they were supposed to do Alison should be here now. The apology they wrote isn't worth the paper it is written on. Alison worked at that hospital and you think they would have looked after one of their own.
'It has never been about the money but we have been unable to grieve for seven years while this went on. Now me and the children can at least try to move on and remember her in the way she deserves.”
An inquest held in December 2011 heard Alison was referred to the hospital five days after giving birth by her community midwife when she complained of cramps and swelling in her right leg.
She was admitted to the maternity unit where she told midwives she was worried she could be suffering from a blood clot.
But registrar Dr Vijay Kumar Kalathy discounted DVT as a diagnosis when he examined her ten minutes later.
Alison also went to see her family GP Dr Philip Hussey on the day she died but he gave her painkillers after misdiagnosing her with cramp. Later that night Darren found his wife collapsed in the bathroom of their home in Syston, Leics., and she died in hospital.
Recording a narrative verdict, Assistant Deputy Coroner Robert Chapman said a scan at the hospital could have saved her life.
Mehmooda Duke, from Moosa-Duke Solicitors which represented Darren, said: “Mrs Taylor was a victim of medical negligence. After her death, her family continued to be victims of the hospital's refusal to admit that they caused Mrs Taylor's death. After a long and weary legal battle for justice the hospital finally admitted that its failure to do a blood test, and perform a scan resulted in Alison's death. Had a scan been done on March 22, 2010, it would have shown the DVT and a fatal pulmonary embolism would have been avoided.”
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust have since apologised and said changes have been introduced as a result of the tragic death.
Ian Scudamore, consultant obstetrician and clinical director for women's and children's services, said “DVTs are very difficult to diagnose clinically and Alison was considered at low risk of developing a DVT. However, there were opportunities during her care to carry out investigations and start treatment that may have resulted in a different outcome for Alison. While no amount of money will make up for the loss of Alison, we do however hope that the settlement will bring some security to Mr Taylor and their three children. In reviewing the care provided to Alison it has highlighted changes that were necessary to improve the diagnosis of, and treatment for, DVT related to pregnancy. As part of these changes we have improved our guidelines and the service has been extended to allow doctors access to ultrasound scans at the weekend should they suspect a DVT.”
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4207750/Father-receives-payout-wife-died-blood-clot.html