Family not told of cancer op error at Coventry hospital

The family of a cancer patient who died two days after undergoing a medical procedure was not told about a surgical error during the operation.



Deborah O'Hara had a kidney removed at University Hospital Coventry and blood supply from two arteries was cut off, a procedure not part of the surgery.

The coroner's office said it had not been told about the mistake when the hospital reported the June 2015 death.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has apologised.

In a letter to Mrs O'Hara's family, the trust said sorry "for the distress that they have suffered".

It said the death had been immediately reported to the coroner and this report "went into detail".

Coroner Sean McGovern signed the death certificate which said she had suffered a lack of blood supply to her organs following surgery.

But a statement from assistant coroner Emma Whitting said: "The hospital did not make the coroner aware of any surgical error at the time of death or subsequently until the matter was brought to the coroner's attention by solicitors for the family."

A death certificate was issued without an inquest.

However, a pre-inquest review is due to take place on Tuesday, with a full inquest to follow at a later date to be heard by Mrs Whitting.

Mother-of-three Mrs O'Hara underwent surgery on 10 June, 2015 because of a cancerous tumour.

Mrs O'Hara's husband Andy said he had not been told her death could have been as a result of surgical error until being approached three months after the operation by the BBC, which had received a tip-off.

The hospital trust later wrote to him.

"It was devastating to everyone; friends, family, the kids. It's just been awful," he said.

The hospital trust said Mrs O'Hara's death had been reviewed in line with its governance processes and it had shared the findings of its investigation with her family, adding it had "already implemented the recommendations" from the report.

Shameful!

The hospital will be frantically searching for the whistleblower right now so they can blacklist them for life and stop them from ever working in the health sector again.

Husband of Coventry mum who died after doctor blunder wants more answers



A heartbroken husband has spoken out about finally getting justice for his cancer-stricken wife who died as a result of a surgical blunder.

Deborah O’Hara, 45, died in June 2015 following an operation at Coventry's University Hospital to remove a 22cm tumour from her kidney.

Andy O’Hara only discovered the truth about this wife’s death when a BBC reporter turned up at his door.

At an inquest held at Coventry Magistrates' Court this week, assistant coroner for Coventry, Emma Whitting, finally concluded that Mrs O’Hara had died as a result of misadventure.

The inquest discovered that surgical clips used in the operation had cut off the blood supply to some of Mrs O’Hara’s major organs.

In an emotional interview with the Telegraph, Mr O’Hara said he was pleased with the conclusion, but still had questions that were left unanswered.

He said: “I’m happy it was a very thorough investigation. The legal team were great.

"There were many searching questions and we managed to get most answers. Unfortunately there are still questions."

Looking back on what his wife was like as a person and as a mother, Mr O’Hara said: “She was a gorgeous wife. She was fun to be with. She was caring and kind.

“She was a lovely, bubbly lady and you always knew when she was in the room.”

Following on from Mrs O’Hara’s sudden death, Daniel Higman, a general surgeon at UHCW, was tasked with carrying out an internal review.

He found that the mum-of-three’s death was down to surgical error and implement recommendations.

He said: “I have sat down with the lead in urology and been through them with him and he has assured me on this point.

"I understand there’s much more collaborative working now for major cases such as this."

Concluding, Ms Whitting said that no report on preventing similar deaths would be filed.

She was satisfied with the trust’s investigation and subsequent recommendations, which included greater co-operation between surgeons in planning complex operations.

She said: “I am heartened to hear from the trust today that this case has highlighted the need for a lower threshold of collaborative working in the urology department.”

Professor Meghana Pandit, chief medical officer and deputy chief executive officer at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, said: "We would like to apologise unreservedly to the family of Mrs O’Hara for the distress that they have suffered.

"We fully accept the conclusions from today’s inquest and have admitted liability for the mistakes in our care to Mrs O’Hara.

"This tragic incident has been reviewed extensively and surgeons from different specialties now work much more collaboratively to care for patients with more complex needs.

"We appreciate that this will continue to be an incredibly difficult time for the family and our heartfelt sympathies are with them."