Déjà vu

This item was sent to me by a friend and I am posting it because it bears an uncanny resemblance to “M”s treatment.

From the Manchester Evening news:-The whole thing:

A HOSPITAL has paid out £50,000 to the family of a mother-of-six who died after a string of failings by medics.

Karen Bambrough, 42, should have had urgent surgery when she was admitted to Tameside Hospital with a severe blockage in her abdomen.

When she did not receive the treatment her condition worsened.

She died in 6 January 2005 after her intestines ruptured and medics did not attempt to resuscitate her.

Despite admitting that these failings caused Mrs Bambrough additional 'pain and suffering', Tameside hospital said that she would have died anyway.

Her widower Chris Bambrough, from Ashton under Lyne, said he had accepted a £50,000 settlement because he had 'given up' after a stressful legal battle lasting almost five years.

Mr Bambrough, now a single father of six, said: “This isn't about the money. I just want people to know what happened at Tameside. I don’t want this to happen to someone else.

“After five years I just wanted it all to be over. The hospital has caused me so much stress. They have done nothing but drag out the case, and refuse to admit they neglected to save Karen's life.”

No apology

Mr Bambrough said he was angry that after five years he still hadn’t received an apology.
“Karen was such a wonderful mother to our children,” he said. “She was my everything since we were 15 years old. And the hospital just wrote her off.”

Mr Bambrough’s lawyer, Janet Johnson, a partner at Simpson Millar, said: “Coming to terms with the loss of a wife or a mother is difficult enough in itself without the added strain of having to fight tooth and nail for justice.

“The last five years have been both stressful and emotionally draining for the Bambrough family.

“Although you cannot put a price on a human life, surely £50,000 is nowhere near enough for such a massive loss.”

Tameside hospital declined to comment on the case but confirmed the £50,000 settlement.

“M” was left with a blocked bowel, the hospital dragged out my complaint for three years, they also said “she would have died anyway”, and I was given no apology regarding her treatment.

Unlike Mr Bambrough I didn’t sue for damages because I wanted to leave the door open regarding Human Rights, but like Mr Bambrough I just want people to know what happened, and I don’t want this to happen to someone else.

Sadly no one wanted to know.

But it seems that it has, it also seems that there is a “system” in place by CEOs of hospitals to use a script agreed between them to defer, deny and outwait relatives who are at the most vulnerable point in their lives, if there is such a system in use it can only be described as callous and uncaring (which was also denied by the Chairman of the ‘Hospital’ “M” was in).

After Christmas I am going to set up a blog to collate all the “NHS horror stories” -NHS Horror Stories and I need readers to send in an abridged version of the treatment given to their relatives.

The data will then be sent to MPs, Hospital CEOs and the media, so spread the word and submit your stories, I know it will be painful but maybe we can stop this happening again and discover if there is a script being used by the NHS to deter us from complaining.


Angus

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