HOSPITAL REPORT ‘AN EMOTIONAL BLOW’ FOR FAMILY
THE HEARTBROKEN daughter of an Enniscorthy man who died after his cancer was missed in a failed colonoscopy at Wexford General Hospital has said that he could still be alive if the hospital had carried out an audit of suspect scans in a more timely manner.
Pat Fitzpatrick of Slaney View Park died in April last year after his cancer was missed and now his family are left questioning what could have been.
It has emerged in a new report that a member of staff at the hospital asked for an audit after raising concerns about the tests five times. This didn’t happen.
‘It is difficult to understand why the evidence from this worker was not in the Safety Incident Management Team’s report last year. This is another emotional blow for our family,’ said Pat’s daughter Dee Fitzpatrick. ‘One year on to hear this information is exceptionally difficult for us. Dad fought an incredible fight against his cancer and suffered tremendously for over two years.’
A HEARTBROKEN woman, whose father died after his cancer was missed in a failed colonoscopy at Wexford General Hospital, said he may still be alive if the hospital had carried out an audit of suspect scans in a timely manner.
A brave staff member at the hospital asked for an audit of ‘the photos’ after raising concerns about the tests five times. This didn’t happen.
‘If a full audit of the colonoscopies would have occured, at that time the outcome for my dad and our family would be very different,’ said Dee Fitzpatrick, whose father Pat died last April.
‘It is difficult to understand why the evidence from this worker was not in the Safety Incident Management Team’s report last year? This is another emotional blow for our family. One year on to hear this information is exceptionally difficult for us, as dad, who fought an incredible fight against his cancer and suffered tremendously for over two years,’ said Dee.
‘This is an exceptionally difficult day for our family as we learn further details of how my dad and 13 other families were failed by the Bowel Screen Process,’ said Dee, of her father, who lived at Slaney View Park, in Enniscorthy.
‘Dad had a colonosopy in WGH in February 2013, following symptoms of bowel cancer. In March/ April 2013 an HSE employee in WGH expressed concern to the consultant about his completion of colonoscopies. That staff member went on to express these concerns again in May 2013 to Bowel Screen by telephone and was reassured that the concerns would be communicated to the Clinical Lead at WGH. ‘A conversation took place between the Clinical Lead at BowelScreen and the Clinical Lead of WGH. When the employee saw no improvement in the consultant’s performance, the employee went back to the Clinical Lead at WGH and communicated concerns again in June 2013. This employee then documented this in 2014.
Dee said the lack of action raised the question of how ‘open’ the ‘Open Disclosures’ Policy is.
‘We thought we had put the back to use last year with the internal review, however, we attended two meetings with WGH and they never disclosed this information to us.. they didn’t seem to think it was relevant,’ Dee told this newspaper. ‘We recognise and acknowledge that there are now robust procedures in place with the National Bowel Screen Programme. However, that is cold comfort for us as a family today,’ she said.