A tragic incident unfolded as a woman passed away due to delays in receiving prescribed medication, leading to a coroner’s ruling citing neglect as a contributing factor to her demise.
The unfortunate incident occurred during surgery at South Tyneside District General Hospital in South Shields on September 18, 2022. The deceased, Theresa Lydon, had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in May 2021 and prescribed balsalazide. However, she did not receive the medication until June of the following year.
Compounding the issue, Mrs. Lydon did not receive support from specialist inflammatory bowel disease nurses after a referral to community service was not progressed.
Tragically, Mrs. Lydon was admitted to the hospital multiple times between July and September 2022, with her condition not being adequately addressed until her final admission. Blood tests were omitted during one hospital stay, hindering proper treatment assessment, which the coroner highlighted as a factor contributing to her passing.
Ultimately, Mrs. Lydon succumbed to complications during surgery, specifically an intra-abdominal hemorrhage exacerbated by anti-coagulation treatment. The coroner also flagged the lack of access to her medical records between hospitals, emphasizing the need for improved inter-hospital record-sharing practices.
The coroner’s narrative conclusion deemed neglect a factor in Mrs. Lydon’s death, prompting a Prevention of Future Deaths report. Concerns were also raised regarding communication with her GP and prescription practices. The involved NHS trusts expressed condolences to the family and pledged improvements in care protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future.
