Latest news with #GarryBurkill
The Independent
an hour ago
- Health
- The Independent
Man says wife ‘needlessly suffered' as hospital admits patient care failings
The husband of a retired hairdresser who died after a hospital procedure said she 'needlessly suffered,' as a report showed other patients also had problems with their care. A review at Rotherham Hospital studied 68 cases from 2016 to 2021 where patients died or had problems within 30 days of an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a procedure used to find and treat liver and gallbladder issues. Failures were found in the care of 58 patients, while 25 'suffered some degree of harm', the review said. Rotherham Hospital NHS Foundation Trust apologised, admitting that the care many patients received was not good enough. Val Burkill, 73, of Bolton-upon-Dearne in South Yorkshire, had a gallstone procedure at Rotherham Hospital in October 2020 and was sent home soon after, but soon felt sharp pain and was taken back. Doctors found a tear in her bowel, which led to sepsis and despite treatment, her health got worse and she died weeks later. Law firm Irwin Mitchell, on the family's behalf, said the Trust admitted failings in the consent process for Mrs Burkill's ERCP and that she was prematurely discharged from hospital. Her husband, Garry, 79, a retired builder, said: 'Seeing her as her life slipped away is something that will stay with us forever. We still had so many years together and I feel robbed that these were taken away from us. 'It breaks my heart to think how she needlessly suffered and the treatment she received from Rotherham Trust. 'Our family will never be the same without Val. We knew we owed it to her to get answers regarding her care but it was still devastating when the Trust admitted Val would have made a full recovery if she had received the correct care.' Mr Burkill continued: 'This latest news is hard to accept. We knew there were issues with Val's care, but we never expected there to have been failings in the ERCP service on such a large scale. 'Not only has this news shocked us but it has brought back the horrible memories around what happened to Val and the pain and suffering she had to go through in her final weeks. 'It's hard not to think that if she had gone to another hospital for her ERCP, Val would still be alive.' ERCP is a specialist procedure combining X-rays and endoscopy to diagnose and treat problems in the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts and pancreas. The review found poor record-keeping, failures in obtaining proper informed consent, sedation problems and delays in care. The Trust said it paused the service in 2021 after concerns about patient safety and care quality and that it has reviewed cases, contacted affected patients and pledged to improve standards moving forward. Dr Jo Beahan, medical director of the Trust said: 'We apologise unreservedly to patients and their families affected by the failures identified in the ERCP service review. 'The care provided to some of the patients who underwent the procedure was not at the level that we strive for.'
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Man 'will not forgive' Rotherham Hospital for wife's death
A man whose wife died three weeks after a specialised procedure to remove gallstones has said he can "never forgive" Rotherham Hospital for the poor care she Birkill, 73, from Bolton-upon-Dearne, died after undergoing an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), which involved passing a flexible tube with a camera down her husband Garry Burkill spoke out after NHS Trust documents revealed 58 patients had received "substandard" care from the service between 2016-21, including 25 who "suffered some degree of harm".Rotherham Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has apologised and said the care provided to some patients was "not at the level we strive for". Mrs Birkill underwent her ERCP on 1 October 2020, with the procedure lasting just eight complaining of stomach pains, the retired hairdresser was discharged an hour later and had to be brought back into hospital by ambulance that mother of three and grandmother of seven was later diagnosed with a perforated bowel and went on to develop sepsis before her death on 24 October Trust later admitted "failings with regards to the consenting process for the ERCP" and that Mrs Birkill had been "prematurely discharged".It also admitted "on a balance of probability" that with "appropriate care" Mrs Birkill would have "survived and made a full recovery".Mr Birkill, 78, said: "The impact has been massive, we just loved Val so much, and we'd do anything to have her back."We've always known there was something drastically wrong in the whole system, and my heart goes out to anyone who's had to suffer the same as me and my family." The ERCP procedure, which combines X-ray and endoscopy, comes with known risks and is used to diagnose and treat problems in the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts and hospital documents show the ERCP service at Rotherham Hospital was suspended in July 2021 following "a cluster of adverse incidents and complications".From 2016, the specialised procedure had been carried out almost exclusively by a single consultant nurse at the initial review, published by the Royal College of Physicians in 2023, found that this "isolated practice" had "not provided high standards of performance and safety", resulting in a higher-than-expected complication included inadequate recording of informed consent, deficiencies in ERCP reports and poor radiological documentation.A further review by independent medical experts was established to look at all cases between 2016-21 where the patient had died or there were complications within 30 days of the total, 68 cases were looked at in detail with failings in care identified in relation to 58 of them, including 25 where there was "evidence of harm".The report states "it's difficult to be certain that deficiencies in care were always the cause of harm" given the known complications of the procedure but that the overall risk would likely have increased. Sinead Rollinson-Hayes, a solicitor with Irwin Mitchell, the law firm that represented the Birkill family, said: "There were multiple failings of care in Val's case, which sadly identified that she would be here today but for those failings in care."But reading this report is even more concerning because it is on such a wider scale."The nurse consultant in question is subject to an investigation by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and has interim conditions in place on his ability to Jo Beahan, medical director for the Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We apologise unreservedly to patients and their families affected by the failures identified in the ERCP service review. "The care provided to some of the patients who underwent the procedure was not at the level that we strive for."Dr Beahan added: "The Trust has contacted the patients or their relatives whose care has been independently reviewed, including those where no harm was found. "We have apologised and explained the findings of the review. "We will continue to support patients and families on an individual basis to ensure they have the opportunity to understand the care they or their relative received."We are aware that this may cause concern for other patients who have been treated at the Trust. "Anyone with concerns about their care in endoscopy can contact the Trust's Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on or 01709 424461." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
