Last updated at 2:28 PM on 21st January 2012
A mother who suffered severe burns while cooking has died after waiting almost a month to see a specialist.
Shamim Akhtar, a 66-year-old mother-of-two, failed to receive the necessary care for her injuries at Rochdale Infirmary, an inquest heard.
She was admitted to the hospital on March 15, 2010, after suffering burns to her right arm and back while cooking chapattis at her home in Castlemere Street, Rochdale.
Rochdale Infirmary has apologised for failing to realise how severe the burns were but has put procedures in place to ensure it does not happen again
Her headscarf and sari caught fire and she phoned her neighbour Hamida Begum for help, the inquest heard. The wounds were dressed at Rochdale Infirmary, but Mrs Akhtar was discharged after asking to go home.
Two days later she was admitted to the hospital for an existing heart problem.
Consultant cardiologist Dr Mohammed Khan said Mrs Akhtar's wounds were dressed on the heart ward and she was prescribed antibiotics.
But after staff raised concerns about the state of the burns she was referred to a specialist at Wythenshawe Hospital.
Wythenshawe burns consultant Jacky Ann Edwards said the wound was 'incredibly deep' and 'extraordinarily painful' when she saw Mrs Akhtar on April 12.
Miss Edwards, who said there are new assessment guidelines in place since the incident, added: 'Had it been treated initially within 48 hours it is unlikely to have reached that condition.'
Dr Sally Bradley, medical director at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said: 'We deeply regret and apologise that the severity of her burns were not fully recognised and that there was a delay in transferring Mrs Akhtar to Wythenshawe.'
Mrs Akhtar died from multi-organ failure at Wythenshawe Hospital 10 weeks after first being admitted to Rochdale Infirmary.
Coroner Simon Nelson said there was a lack of 'joined-up thinking' over the treatment and care at the infirmary. But he said it was inappropriate to reach a verdict of neglect because it could not be proven the condition which caused the organ failure had come from the wound or if it was already present.
He recorded a narrative verdict that Mrs Akhtar died from multi-organ failure caused by endocarditis and her death may have been accelerated by the infection and burns.
He said the severity of her injuries was neither fully recognised nor appropriately managed by Rochdale Infirmary.
Dr Sally Bradley, medical director at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said: 'We deeply regret and apologise that the severity of her burns were not fully recognised and that there was a delay in transferring Mrs Akhtar to Wythenshawe.
'We will now look again to see if anything further can be done to prevent a similar case happening.'
Dr Sally Bradley said: 'We deeply regret and apologise that the severity of her burns were not fully recognised and that there was a delay in transferring Mrs Akhtar to Wythenshawe. 'We will now look again to see if anything further can be done to prevent a similar case happening.' ========== oh what a surprise. Another "God in White" using pithy statements like this to cover up their pathetic failures. Any bets she will still keep her bonus for exceptional performance.... SICKENING........
- Steve, Dortmund, Germany, 21/1/2012 16:11
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