A 77-year-old lady from Leicester died after choking on a doughnut that she was given while staying in hospital. The lady had been admitted to the Evington Centre’s Mental Health ward at Leicester General hospital, run by the Leicestershire Partnership Trust, in June last year.
She had undergone a behaviour assessment – which included looking into her eating habits – and was placed on a “soft food” diet to avoid any potentially dangerous incidents. However, contrary to this she was given foods such as toast and pizza by staff who were supposedly caring for her. When she began to eat a doughnut on the 25th July while left on her own, she began to choke. By the time the emergency team arrived the lady had suffered a massive heart attack from which she suffered significant brain damage, and she died less than one week later.
A spokesman for the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust said: “We are sorry this tragic incident occurred while the lady was in our care and accept there is more we could have done to prevent this incident from occurring”. He added: “We carried out our own investigation into the incident, which we have shared with the deceased’s family and the coroner. We developed a detailed action plan following our investigation, which includes a number of different steps to reduce the likelihood of a similar incident in the future.”
If you or someone you care for has suffered while under the care of a hospital or any medical facility, you could well be entitled to make a claim for compensation. While we all understand that it is incredibly rare for anyone to be injured or killed purposefully, we have a right to expect to be looked after in the best way possible. Mistakes do happen, but if they do there should be recompense for those who suffer as a result. Our solicitors have many years of experience in handling cases of medical negligence, and will swiftly be able to answer any questions you have about the legal procedures. They should also be able to swiftly listen to your case and tell you whether or not they think it is likely that you could make a successful claim for compensation. It’s free to contact us, and you are under no obligation to continue with a case if you chose not to do so. Contact us today and let us see how we can help you get the pay out you deserve.