Hospital bug death claim
An elderly woman from Stafford who went into hospital with a broken ankle contracted C.difficile and died four months later, her family claims.
An elderly woman from Stafford who went into hospital with a broken ankle contracted C.difficile and died four months later, her family claims.
The husband of Barbara Townsend claims staff initially treated her with "complete indifference"at Stafford's main hospital.
Barry Townsend claimed her death was due to a catalogue of care problems.
Mother-of-one Mrs Townsend, aged 86, of Cannock Road, Wildwood, suffered a minor fall in her garden in July 2006.
She cracked her ankle bone and need a plaster but when she arrived at Staffordshire General Hospital it could not be done straight away so she was kept overnight.
The plaster was fitted the next day but Mrs Townsend was moved to another ward for physiotherapy, and as there were no available appointment she was kept in over the weekend.
But when her 85-year-old husband, a retired electronic engineer, visited her he made a shocking discovery. "I was distressed to find her only partially dressed, without under clothes and sitting on a chair with no cover. "She could not walk because of the ankle and the call button was completely out of her reach. The attitude of the ward staff was complete indifference."
Mrs Townsend was kept in the physio department for three weeks and when the plaster was removed her ankle was swollen and scabbed. The wound was then redressed and she was discharged.
Mr Townsend said: "I took her to the GP and he suspected infection and prescribed a course of antibiotics.
"Further analysis revealed she had a secondary stomach infection which required another set of antibiotics. The effect was devastating. Within a week of completing she died."
Mr Townsend was shocked to hear of similar horror stories in the Kent NHS trust which recently received a damming report following 90 deaths caused by C.difficile.
The crisis-ridden Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust came under fire because of a litany of errors between 2004 and 2006.
Mr Townsend said problems in health care urgently need to addressed: "Although the diagnosis of C.difficile was not made in my wife's case her symptoms are virtually identical to others I've heard of.
"The staff do not know how to look after patients, especially elderly ones. People should not be kept in hospital longer than necessary for their treatment because it exposes them to infection.
"I cannot help but feel had my wife been discharged as soon as the new plaster was fitted, and if the physio therapy had been provided by an intermediate care team, I would still have her today. After all a broken ankle should not be a terminal condition."
Mid Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS Trust director of nursing Helen Moss said: "I cannot comment on the details of Mrs Townsend's death in 2006, as this would not be appropriate.
"However, I can confirm that we have not received a complaint from her family in relation to the care and treatment she received whilst in hospital."
By Ciara Hill
