A review conducted by West Hertfordshire NHS Trust has found that the care of three cancer patients cwas compromised after they were not given follow-up appointments at Watford General Hospital. Two of those patients have since died.
In total, there were 810 patients reviewed. Out of that number, 121 are still being reviewed and 686 have been informed there are no clinical concerns about them. The results show a breach in NHS rules and two managers have been suspended.
A spokeswoman for the trust said that in one case there was a delay because processes were not followed correctly but that the cancer was still found at the earliest stage and that an apology has been made to the family. She said: “We have also met the family of a patient who has since died. Our clinical view is that a delay in seeing the patient may have contributed to their death, but it is not certain.”
New Procedures Now In Place
The trust stated that a number of processes had since been put into place following the review, including weekly meetings to discuss all referrals and appointments, the retraining of staff and a new IT appointment tracker system.
Chief Executive of the Trust, Samantha Jones, said that she wants to apologise to every patient and relative who had been affected. She added that the emergence of the information came as a result of the new management’s review system and that the cases dated back a number of years. She also said that all the new changes currently being implemented will be communicated publicly.
Making A Clinical Negligence compensation Claim
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Published 16th February 2015.