Early scans ‘could have saved woman’
Apatient who suffered a major blockage in her bowel and later died could have been saved if vital scans had been carried out sooner, an investigation has found.
Joanne Earls, described as a “happygo-lucky” young woman, needed emergency surgery at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) when she fell seriously ill in April 2017.
Doctors discovered that Joanne’s bowel had become so twisted from the blockage that they could do nothing to save her.
Following her tragic death at the age of 39, her family sought legal advice over the treatment she received.
An investigation found that delays in offering a CT scan – and therefore spotting the severity of her bowel problem – contributed towards her death.
The family were awarded £10,000 in compensation by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board due to the medical failings and the delay in diagnosis and treatment.
“We are devastated. It has caused so much mayhem in the family that we just cannot get on with our lives,” said her heartbroken mum Jean Earls.
“Everything revolved around Joanne. She laughed all the time, she loved going out and we took her around the world with us.
“This has destroyed us.”
The health board’s investigation into the incident concluded that there was a “breach of duty” in the medical care given to Joanne.
Their report read: “There were a number of missed opportunities to undertake imaging of the bowel using CT with contrast which should have led to her undergoing surgery in a more timely fashion.”
In response, a spokesperson for Cardiff and Vale UHB said: “We apologise to the family of the patient unreservedly for the care that was afforded to them.”