Jodie McCann
20 Apr 2023 · Coroner Elizabeth Didcock · Nottinghamshire
The coroner's concerns
1. lack of comprehensive airway strategies
“There is limited evidence to date for the introduction and continuing use of comprehensive airway strategies, with structured planning and preparation, when a difficult airway is anticipated. There should be airway plans A, B, and C recorded, shared, and the equipment and skills to carry them out must be available”
2. lack of universal use of NAP4 algorithms and checklists
“There is limited evidence to date for the universal use of the NAP4 algorithms and checklists, which should be available on the difficult airway trolley, and be familiar to all ICU nursing and medical staff, and to the wider anaesthetic team”
3. lack of daily equipment checking on difficult airway trolley
“There is limited evidence to date, for the robust daily checking of all necessary equipment on the difficult airway trolley, to ensure immediate replacement of all key equipment if it is broken or misplaced”
4. non‑compliance with Mortality Review policy
“The Mortality Review policy was not followed, leading to a significant delay in completing the serious incident review, delaying Trust learning, and delaying the family's understanding of the circumstances of [the deceased]'s death. There is limited evidence of progress in implementing the national Patient Safety Incident Response Framework at the Trust”