Antony Waring
17 May 2024 · Coroner James Adeley · Lancashire & Blackburn with Darwen
The coroner's concerns
1. lack of SOP implementation
“The Trust made no progress on the introduction of an SOP recommended in the internal review for almost 4 years. A draft SOP had been proposed in the weeks leading up to the inquest.”
2. inferior CT scanning plan
“The expert evidence at the inquest was that the Trust's proposed action plan using CT scanning at an unspecified time before a suprapubic catheter insertion was sub optimal and inferior to ultrasound as bowel may move between the date of the CT scan and the catheter insertion”
3. lack of ultrasound teaching sessions
“In the four years since [the deceased]'s death, the Trust has not provided a single ultrasound teaching session provided by the Trust to any consultant who is not capable of using ultrasound”
4. allocation of high-risk patients to Core Lists
“The allocation of high-risk patients to Core Lists where a specific ancillary prophylactic measure such as ultrasound is left to either chance or to an administrator”
5. inappropriate risk research
“The expert evidence at the inquest was that the research provided on the risk of complications after insertion of a suprapubic catheter into patients with lower abdominal surgery is inappropriate the patient such as [the deceased] and provides false reassurance as to the level of risk posed to these patients”