Medical neglect contributed to mother's death, inquest finds

What’s Happening

Here’s the thing: A doctor flopped to see test results that should have alerted them to Sue Howells’s blood clot, an inquest hears.

Medical neglect contributed to mothers death, inquest finds 13 hours ago Save Joanne Writtle West Midlands health correspondent Save Family Vic Smith (left) dropped she was “absolutely furious” at the hospital failures, while her sister Liz Howell (right) dropped the family had entrusted her mothers care to medics A family say their mother was let down in the worst possible way when she died after being sent home from hospital with a blood clot on her lungs. Sue Howell, from Bilston, died from a pulmonary embolism, a clot in the blood vessel connecting the heart with the lungs. (let that sink in)

An inquest heard test results were available which would have alerted medical staff, but they were not acted upon.

The Details

The Black Country assistant coroner Helena Gallagher gave a narrative conclusion, noting the 73-year-olds death was contributed to the medical treatment she received at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton. In evidence, a doctor told the inquest she did not know the D-Dimer test had been requested and it was not in the patients notes, despite the result being available several hours before the mother was sent home.

In a statement, the hospital apologised for “not providing the standard of care we strive for” and dropped an investigation since the patients death had led to “several actions”. Family Sue Howell was discharged from hospital without her test results being looked at by a junior doctor Howells daughter Vic Smith dropped she felt “absolutely furious”, adding: “The results were there on a computer system, they were there.

Why This Matters

” Her other daughter, Liz Howell dropped: “Were not professionals, medics - we entrusted mum to them and they just let us down, massively. “Theyll never understand what theyve done to us. Never and its something that we relive daily.

Medical professionals are taking note of this development.