A grandmother suffering with neck pain passed away after doctors repeatedly failed to admit her to hospital – instead advising her to take paracetamol.
89-year-old Ruby Rice from Norfolk was in fact suffering with a broken neck, and eventually died after she became paralysed from the neck following a fall.
Her heartbroken son Paul Rice, 55, told the Daily Mail that although paramedics and Mrs Rice’s GP were called a number of times, she was just told to “take paracetamol”.
It was not until 19th November that Mrs Rice was taken to hospital for X-rays, nearly three weeks after her fall.
Mr Rice has called for a review into the policies and procedures currently in place when a patient needs to be taken to hospital for further assessment. He has also written to the Care Quality Commission health watchdog on the matter.
East of England Ambulance Service along with Mrs Rice’s GP surgery have offered their sympathies to Mr Rice and encouraged the family to contact them directly to discuss concerns.
Mr Rice explained: “I am not apportioning blame to the crews. I am concerned about policy.
“My mother had osteoporosis and brittle bones – they should have acted.”
An ambulance was first called on 13th November when Mrs Rice fell in the hallway of her home. A medical report stated that the slip caused her “slight” discomfort in the neck and no injury was found. A GP visited her at home the following day after being contacted about the neck pain she was suffering.
On 15th November, she suffered another fall, but a medical report recorded that “no new injuries” were found, although her neck remained “painful”. She was referred to her GP for a medical review the following day and took paracetamol for her neck pain.
She suffered yet another fall on 19th November, this time in her kitchen. It was at this point that she was finally taken to Norfolk and Norwich University hospital and was first diagnosed with a broken pelvis and what was described as an ‘historic break’ to her neck.
Following a long stay in hospital, she was finally discharged to a North Walsham care home. However, she became paralysed from the neck down and died on 3rd February.
Joan Skeggs, assistant director of quality and safety at NHS England (East) said: “We would like to offer our sincere sympathies to Mrs Rice’s family, at what must be an extremely difficult time for them.”