Margaret Spencer

PFD Report All Responded
Date of Report 29 March 2018
Coroner Zafar Siddique
Coroner Area Black Country
Response Deadline ✓ from report 28 May 2018
All 1 response received · Deadline: 28 May 2018
Coroner's Concerns (AI summary)
Inadequate staff training for a new IT system resulted in premature closure of patient access plans and lack of reviews, placing multiple patients at risk.
View full coroner's concerns
1. Evidence emerged during the inquest that there were failures to properly implement sufficient training for staff during the introduction of a new IT system (Lorenzo). This resulted in the premature closing of her access plan and effectively no further review. This failure to conduct a review led to a number of patients including Mrs Spencer being placed at risk of harm.
Responses
Margaret Spencer
Response received (text not yet extracted)
Sent To
  • Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust (Manor Hospital)
Response Status
Linked responses 1 of 1
56-Day Deadline 28 May 2018
All responses received
About PFD responses

Organisations named in PFD reports must respond within 56 days explaining what actions they are taking.

Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Report Sections
Investigation and Inquest
On the 18 December 2017, I commenced an investigation into the death of Mrs Margaret Spencer. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 22 March 2018. The conclusion of the inquest was a short narrative conclusion of:

Died after developing complications arising from a failure to remove a pessary that had been put in place in 2014. A failure to do a timely follow up review due to system failures in IT and administrative input errors contributed to a decline in her condition and these failures and omissions were contributed to by neglect.

The cause of death was:

1a Acute Kidney Injury b Hospital Acquired Pneumonia c ll Ischaemic Heart Disease, Frailty, Forgotten Vaginal Pessary
Circumstances of the Death
i) Mrs Spencer was under the care of the Manor Hospital Gynaecology clinic at Manor Hospital. She had regular appointments and review after being diagnosed with a prolapse. This was treated with a pessary. ii) She last saw and was reviewed by her Consultant on the 23 May 2014 and a new pessary given. iii) Due to a change in IT systems no follow up review took place and her condition deteriorated with her reporting frequent urinary tract infections during 2017. iv) This resulted in further hospital admissions and in November 2017 it was discovered that the pessary had eroded through the bladder. v) Sadly despite plans for further surgery her condition continued to decline and she passed away on the 17 December 2017 after developing

[IL1: PROTECT] pneumonia and acute kidney injury.
Action Should Be Taken
1. You may wish to consider further reviewing the systems in place to ensure that all relevant patients identified during the relevant period have been identified and further treatment offered as needed. In addition you may wish to review that this IT system change did not result in any other patients across the Trust having their cases closed prematurely.
Related Inquiry Recommendations

Public inquiry recommendations addressing similar themes

Hepatologist Oversight and Fibroscan Access
Infected Blood Inquiry
Delayed Recognition of Deterioration
Specialist Hepatology Centre Access
Infected Blood Inquiry
Delayed Recognition of Deterioration
Uncertainty About Fibrosis
Infected Blood Inquiry
Delayed Recognition of Deterioration
Fibroscan for Liver Imaging
Infected Blood Inquiry
Delayed Recognition of Deterioration
Consultant Hepatologist Access
Infected Blood Inquiry
Delayed Recognition of Deterioration
Commissioning Hepatology Services
Infected Blood Inquiry
Delayed Recognition of Deterioration

Data sourced from Courts and Tribunals Judiciary under the Open Government Licence.