Pressure sores

20/08/2010

By Lynne Foster, Legal Executive in Clinical Negligence. Featured on BBC South East Today

Mrs Street was an 88 year old lady who sustained a fractured hip when she slipped in the shower.  She was admitted to the William Harvey Hospital on 27 December 2009.  By 1 January 2010 it was noted that Mrs Street had developed pressure sores.  Mrs Street sadly died on 1 March 2010.

At the Inquest the Coroner's narrative verdict was that;

"Mrs Street developed a pressure sore after falling and fracturing her left neck of femur.  It is not entirely clear, owing to incomplete records and lack of adherence to Trust policy, when the pressure sore developed or how it was managed.  Mrs Street died on 1 March 2010 at the William Harvey Hospital as a direct result due to tracheobronchitis and severe sacral pressure sores".

Pressures sores are almost always avoidable with appropriate treatment by the provision of a suitable mattress and by turning regularly.  However, in this case it took the hospital trust over 17 months to admit liability which caused further anguish to the family and unnecessarily increased the litigation costs.

Lynne Foster has a wealth of experience in both Inquest work and pressure sores cases. She explained to the BBC that there was no need for Mrs Street to develop pressure sores in the first place. This was an entirely avoidable occurrence which was the result of admitted negligence on the part of the Trust.