Latest news with #STHNFT
BBC News
14-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Middlesbrough hospital coma compensation an insult, woman says
A woman who fell into a diabetic coma following cancer surgery feels a hospital trust's offer of £1,500 compensation is an "insult".Katherine Ashton, 60, had major surgery at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Hospital in October 2022 and previously said she flagged her condition "every step of the way".She is now committed to pursuing the case through the courts to reveal "the truth" of what happened to Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (STHNFT) said it offered Mrs Ashton compensation in line with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's recommendations. Mrs Ashton, who has the genetic MODY3 form of diabetes, described how she was constantly throwing up in the days after the said she felt she had been "completely abandoned" and struggled to keep medication 10 days after the operation, she fell into a coma and said she was "an hour from dying".The STHNFT previously said it was likely her coma was linked to the post-operative administration of a medication known to carry the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a dangerous complication of diabetes. 'Not about money' In the years since, Mrs Ashton has tried to find out what went wrong and explained there had been three internal investigations and they were offered a said: "In the delay that these investigations have caused, we have received an apology from Stacey Hunter, the CEO of the trust, confirming there was a missed opportunity and they accept full liability for that."We were reassured when we met her in her office that we would now be talking about some form of compensation for accountability."This is not just about money, it is about holding the trust accountable for their actions." 'Fell short' Mrs Ashton said being offered £1,500 in compensation for nearly dying was an is now exploring the legal options of taking the case 60-year-old said: "It is only when somebody dies that people stand up and pay attention."I nearly did and I'm not letting go. It is not going to be easy."All I want is the truth. Somebody has to stand up for patients." A spokesperson for the trust said: "We would like to offer our sincere apologies to Mrs Ashton for elements of our complaint-handling process which fell short of the high standards we strive to achieve."The trust has been in communication with Mrs Ashton and provided a sum of compensation for the handling of her complaint in line with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's recommendations." Follow BBC North East on X and Facebook and BBC Cumbria on X and Facebook and both on Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Post-op treatment blamed for Middlesbrough woman's diabetic coma
A woman who fell into a diabetic coma following cancer surgery says a hospital trust must "show accountability" for what Ashton says she flagged her condition "every step of the way" before undergoing a major operation at Middlesbrough's James Cook University Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (STHNFT) said it was likely her coma was linked to the post-operative administration of a medication known to carry the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a dangerous complication of trust said it was taking action with the delivery of "bespoke training" to surgical staff on diabetes management. Mrs Ashton, who has the genetic MODY3 form of diabetes, said she felt abandoned and that "nobody was paying attention" to her condition or concerns, during her time in hospital in October the days after the operation, she said she had bouts of vomiting and was unable to keep prescription medication this period, sick bowls were often left out of reach and some calls for help went unheeded, she Ashton said repeated requests for alternatives to oral medication went unmet and signs of DKA were missed until her condition had deteriorated. 'Extreme vulnerability' Her husband Colin Ashforth said he raised concerns with nursing staff when he visited on 8 October and found her "barely conscious".He said he was told his wife was trust said DKA was diagnosed later that day when the ward's nursing team noticed a deterioration in her said "all appropriate actions" were then taken to manage DKA, with a doctor requesting a follow-up visit from a diabetic specialist the visit did not happen for another three days, because it coincided with a weekend. Mrs Ashton said she now has to take insulin and her faith in the health service was "completely undermined" after being "let down at a time of extreme vulnerability"."When you go into hospital, you are handing yourself over to who you believe and hope are caring professionals," she said."I was left with an overriding sense of abandonment and I continue to struggle with PTSD as a result of that." Action pledged Mrs Ashton said medical and nursing staff were "dismissive" of her concerns, inconsistent in their record keeping and there was inadequate catering for diabetics. The trust said it found DKA was likely to have been caused by "poor oral intake" and the administration of the drug Empagliflozin, an anti-hyperglycemic medication associated with an increased risk of the condition. Delays and shortcomings in the trust's handling of the complaint were reported to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and the hospital trust sent its conclusion to its investigation to Mrs Ashton last correspondence seen by the BBC, group chief executive officer Stacey Hunter and site medical director Dr Diane Monkhouse said they were "very sorry" that Mrs Ashton's experience had caused her distress.A letter outlining action to be taken said feedback would be shared with staff, and at a directorate meeting addressing a lack of information given to the patient and her also said feedback of the patient's opinion of staff being "dismissive" would be shared and an audit of discharge letters would be carried out. Call for awareness Mrs Ashton said she was not satisfied with the outcome of her complaint and wanted the trust's CEO to apologise to her in said: "This was a diabetic problem but I was in hospital for a cancer problem, so the focus was on the general surgery, not diabetes."It's about education and awareness, because diabetes has such a fundamental impact on your total system."
