Medical Negligence

Pinkfrog50

Hi, I’m sorry if this is the wrong category? iIt was the closest I could find. 

I am looking for some advice as to whether this is medical negligence. 

My mum who had COPD was admitted to hospital with an infection. After several days she wasn’t improving and they intubated her but not in ICU they did it with her awake in high dependency. ( this is fine ) 
She was very poorly but awake eating and talking. She had one of those big face masks on which was giving her a lot of oxygen. 

When I left her the night in question she was sitting up in her chair talking and eating. I received a phone call in the early hours saying she had deteriorated and we needed to go in, and told the crash team were working on her.  When we arrived we were told by the nurse looking after her that she had gone on break and when she returned from break she had found my mum with the mask removed and her unresponsive. 

In my experience of time spent there when the oxygen reaches a certain low the alarms sound so I’m unsure how nobody knew this had happened and unsure how long she had struggled to breathe before becoming unresponsive. I am also unsure how many nurses should always be on a high dependency ward at any given time. A consultant who came to see her told us the only reason she was dying right now was because the mask had been removed. Does this sound like negligence? Why hadn’t anyone responded to alarms? Or had the alarms been turned off due to her having low oxygen anyway? Should there have been at least one nurse at all times on high dependency? ( six beds ) whilst I was there and in the evening when leaving one nurse would always be sitting on the ward at the top. 

There was no return for her and after several hours my mum who was half awake managed to turn to me and earnestly tell me she wanted to die, and so on advice we agreed for her to have the necessary drugs to allow this to happen. there were other things that happened that shouldn’t have but I don’t think it would have made a difference to her passing. It just feels off with me but I am unsure if it sounds like negligence or if I am just upset at her passing. Any advice would be greatly received. Thanks 

soolin

That’s not a question for random lay people on an internet forum. If you feel you can prove negligence then approach a solicitor for proper advice. 

However one observation, if she was eating and drinking that wouldn’t suggest she wasn’t dependent on the oxygen. 

Torry_Quine

I don't have the answer to your question and I don't think anyone here will either . 
I would suggest that you need to contact her consultant and arrange to meet with them for an explanation.
My condolences 

singhini

Sorry to hear of your loss.

Many years ago, I visited my dad in hospital and he too was wearing one of those masks you described. I wasn’t able to speak to him because he was sleeping, so I just sat by his bedside for about half an hour before eventually leaving and driving home.

About an hour later, I got a call from my brother saying that dad had passed away. I said it was impossible as i’d been with him earlier and he was asleep but breathing. My brother then told me that he had actually been sitting with dad at the time. Dad was asleep, but in the presence of my brother dad woke up, stared at him, removed his mask, and then lay back down again. My brother immediately sensed that dad had passed and he alerted the nurse, who confirmed yes this was the case and she called the doctor.

It may not be negligence but circumstance. ITU/CCU/ICU are "critical" care units and patients conditions can change very quickly.

Wishing you strength and comfort during this difficult time. 

Ibrahim5

I remember a famous doctor once told me that he had a patient with appendicitis requesting to die because he was in so much pain. The doctor of course just persuaded him to have his appendix out instead. If your mother asked to die and the doctors agreed to it, then it indicates that it was a reasonable course of action. This means that she must have come to the end of the road with her COPD. It must have been severe and she was suffering. Her care may not have been perfect but I think you are best trying to accept it and move on.

PennysIntoPounds

I'm so sorry for your loss.
Contact PALS at the hospital your mum was in and explain that you're worried and upset about her end of life situation, and calmly state the issues.
Hopefully they will be able to have the ward manager or similar contact you to go through those and reassure you.
If you don't feel the answers or actions have been adequate, you can start a formal complaints process with the hospital.
The stage after that if unsatisfactory, would be to approach the (parliamentary and) health service ombudsman. Hopefully it won't come to that and you can get the answers you need soon. I wouldn't delay though, as much as staff will try their best, asking when it's still relatively fresh in minds is the best way of getting accurate information, and the ombudsman can't investigate after a year.