The heads of an NHS Trust have been made to apologise in person to the parents of a cancer patient who bled to death after having a breathing tube inserted in his neck incorrectly. Investigations are ongoing as to whether any members of staff should face prosecution. The replacement tube was inserted in the wrong place in victim, Mr Myron Hall’s, neck. It was supposed to be placed directly in to Mr Hall’s windpipe, helping him breathe easier but instead he began bleeding from the tube after it seemingly pierced the wall of an artery. It was stitched following the wound but Mr Hall suffered a catastrophic bleed four days later.
A report into Mr Hall’s death indicated that his death was avoidable although it was acknowledged he did enter the hospital with a potentially life threatening condition. Indeed the report stated that the standard of care received by Mr Hall fell well below the standard expected of the hospital and ‘directly contributed to his death’.
According to the Guardian website, The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, Peter Tyndall, stated that the offer by the Chair and Chief executive of Cwm Taf Trust to write to Mr Hall’s parents with an apology was ‘unreasonable’ considering the scope of the error.
It appears that a very poor standard of care was provided by the hospital and that the lack of vigilance from staff clearly contributed to the death of Mr Hall. This could clearly result in a claim for medical negligence as the hospital staff owe a duty of care to clients which they have failed to uphold. Mr Hall may have had cancer but it appears the actions of staff contributed to a premature death.