Inadequate Recognition of Treatment Harm

22 items 1 source

Failure to adequately recognize and categorize the severity of adverse impacts from specific medical treatments.

Cross-Source Insight

Inadequate Recognition of Treatment Harm has been flagged across 1 independent accountability source:

22 PFD reports

This theme has been identified in one data source. As more data is added, cross-references may emerge.

Amber Walker
21 Oct 2025 · Dorset
Concerns: Doctors are reluctant or presume others have discussed SUDEP with epilepsy patients, despite its critical importance. There's a lack of universal use of SUDEP checklists and inadequate medical training on the subject.
Response: The Department of Health and Social Care noted the concerns, referencing existing NICE guidance on epilepsies and the Clive Treacey Checklist for systematic SUDEP risk assessment. It also explained that …
Responded
Mary Pomeroy
01 Apr 2025 · Devon, Plymouth and Torbay
Concerns: A hospital's investigation wrongly deemed a fatal patient-on-patient assault unforeseeable, despite ignoring prior violent incidents and failing to implement required enhanced observations for a high-risk patient.
Responded
Brian Beer
21 Oct 2024 · Suffolk
Concerns: NICE guidelines on post-hip fracture anti-coagulation may be outdated, potentially increasing the risk of arterial clots due to hypercoagulability after stopping VTE prophylaxis in elderly, immobile patients.
Responded
Orlando Davis
26 Apr 2024 · West Sussex, Brighton and Hove
Concerns: Midwives lacked awareness of the risk of hyponatremia in birthing women, leading to inappropriate fluid management, inadequate monitoring, and subsequent severe brain injury to the baby.
Responded
Paz Ogbe-Millar
05 Feb 2024 · North London
Concerns: Inadequate observation levels for mental health patients waiting in the Emergency Department create significant safety risks.
Responded
Katie Williams
24 Nov 2023 · Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon
Concerns: The unexpected interaction of a specific medication with common overdose complications re-precipitated serotonin syndrome, highlighting a risk that other NHS organisations may not fully appreciate these medication interaction risks.
Responded
Sultana Choudhury
07 Sep 2023 · East London
Concerns: Failures included not diagnosing an obvious renal haemorrhage, administering VTE prophylaxis with active bleeding, and inadequate patient monitoring, leading to preventable deterioration.
Responded
Joshua Asprey
05 May 2023 · East Sussex
Concerns: Inconsistency between Sertraline's patient leaflet and the British National Formulary regarding suicidal behaviour side effects risks medical practitioners being unaware of, or not discussing, this potential risk with patients.
Responded
Marjorie Walker
15 Jun 2022 · Manchester South
Concerns: A DNA CPR was not completed according to protocols, and significant delays affected access to specialist pain clinics. Furthermore, health professionals showed a lack of understanding regarding kidney function monitoring for pain medication like Gabapentin, increasing overdose risk.
Responded
Brian Jackson
16 Jul 2021 · Liverpool and Wirral
Concerns: Delirium symptoms were missed due to reliance on a flawed CAM-ICU assessment tool, especially for certain presentations, risking suboptimal diagnosis and treatment for patients nationwide.
Overdue
Alvin Black
30 Apr 2021 · Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Concerns: Poor hygiene in non-clinical prison healthcare areas creates infection risks. A systemic failure allowed a senior house officer to miss a critical post-surgery VTE risk assessment, indicating a broader protocol adherence issue.
Overdue
Carl Schmidt
11 Sep 2019 · West Yorkshire (East)
Concerns: The chemo-radiotherapy in a clinical trial potentially exposes patients to neurological damage, requiring further investigation into the mechanism of injury.
Responded
Pamela Hands
18 Dec 2017 · Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Concerns: A critical risk of respiratory depression in opioid-treated patients receiving nerve blocks was not widely recognised, and national monitoring guidelines were absent. This necessitates new guidelines and professional awareness.
Overdue
Pauline Taylor
21 Jul 2017 · West Yorkshire (West)
Concerns: Emollient creams with paraffin pose an unrecognised fire hazard due to inadequate warnings and lack of awareness, alongside insufficient patient risk assessments.
Overdue
James Kane
15 Jul 2016 · County Durham and Darlington
Concerns: A patient died due to a drain, and a scan potentially could have reduced this risk, indicating a need for further consideration of policy changes regarding such procedures.
Responded
Thomas Pearson
04 Jul 2016 · South Yorkshire (East)
Concerns: A patient was prescribed fluticasone, increasing pneumonia risk without benefit due to a non-raised eosinophil count. The coroner recommends reviewing inhaled steroid use in similar patient populations.
Responded
Lynn Poyser
23 Jul 2015 · South Lincolnshire
Concerns: Existing guidance for co-prescribing Lisinopril and Spironolactone may not sufficiently highlight the risks of renal deterioration and hyperkalaemia, indicating a need for more caution and a holistic patient view.
Overdue
Barbara Harrison
13 Jul 2015 · Manchester (South)
Concerns: Inappropriate physiotherapy contributed to surgical complications, and critical equipment failed during emergency surgery due to flat batteries, leading to a 'panic situation'. Family members were also distressed by public disclosure of a cardiac arrest.
Overdue
Mrs Care
16 Jun 2014 · Cornwall
Concerns: Unexplained extensive bruising, likely caused during hospital care and potentially related to hoist use, contributed to the deceased's death, with no clear explanation provided.
Overdue
Susan Poore
28 Mar 2014 · Norfolk
Concerns: Anti-depressant medication was associated with a deterioration in the patient's depression, leading to an uncharacteristic death, despite side-effect warnings.
Overdue
Peter Jeffrey
27 Nov 2013 · Eastern District of London
Concerns: Hospital staff failed to consider alternative diagnoses or treatments, did not take cultures from an infected blister, and overlooked intravenous antibiotics after negative DVT scans.
Pending
Peter Clive Higson
24 Oct 2013 · Surrey
Concerns: Concerns arose regarding the detrimental effect of platelet transfusions following stem cell transplants, questioning if such transfusions might sometimes be contraindicated.
Response: NHSBT disputes the coroner's concerns, stating that TRALI was unlikely given the clinical timeline and donor antibodies. They assert that benefits of platelet transfusions outweigh risks in such cases and …
Response: The Department of Health, following advice from NHS Blood and Transplant, concluded that prophylactic platelet transfusion was appropriate for the deceased and that the respiratory deterioration was likely due to …
Pending