Woman with perforated gallbladder dies three days after being sent home from hospital

An internal report said her symptoms should have led to caution when discharging her home.
PA
Kiran Randhawa20 April 2018

An investigation has been launched after a woman who was rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pain died from a perforated gallbladder three days after being sent home.

Shirley Sledmere was discharged from London’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital after doctors examined her but were unable to get her an ultrasound appointment to help diagnose her condition.

The 79-year-old collapsed at home in Sidcup, south east London, and died three days later.

An internal report by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust found that an ultrasound would probably have picked up the pensioner’s inflamed gallbladder, adding “there may have been an opportunity to alter the outcome.”

Mrs Sledmere was taken by ambulance to A&E at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich in the early hours of 3 November 2016, complaining of severe abdominal pain. She was diagnosed as having either gallstones or gastritis and was sent home later that morning.

Her husband Alan, 67, booked her in for a private scan on 7 November 2016. But her pain was so unbearable he again called for an ambulance the day before the appointment. By the time paramedics arrived, Mrs Sledmere had died.

Following her death, the hospital trust carried out an internal investigation.

The report said that although there were “no absolute indications for admission” there were aspects of her symptoms that also should have led to caution when discharging her home.

The retired cashier’s death may have been avoided if an ultrasound appointment had been available and the hospital ensured the couple had been given and understood “clear instructions” of what to do if her condition deteriorated, the report found.

The document recommended staff now be available to carry out emergency ultrasounds to patients requiring review.

Mr Sledmere, who instructed specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his wife’s care, wrote to his MP James Brokenshire, who wrote to the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt with his concerns.

Replying to Mr Sledmere, Mr Hunt said although the availability of scanning machines was a decision for individual NHS Trusts, “the general expectation” throughout the NHS was that patients attending busy 24-hour A&E departments “should have immediate access” to “scanning services.”

Mr Sledmere, a retired chartered engineer, said: “I cannot believe the pain and suffering Shirley had to go through in the final days of her life.

“I cannot begin to put into words what it was like watching her die in front of me while waiting for the ambulance. I felt so powerless that I was unable to help Shirley when she needed it the most.

“Our family has been left devastated by Shirley’s death. We feel that if Shirley had received an ultrasound when she was first admitted to hospital, doctors could have realised the seriousness of her condition and not sent her home. We feel that doctors would then have been able to spot the warning signs and taken appropriate action and she may still be alive.”

A spokesman for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust said: “We would like to share our condolences with the family of Mrs Sledmere. The case is currently being investigated and it would be inappropriate for us to comment while this is ongoing.”

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