Trust changes procedures after woman’s death

DERBY hospital chiefs have changed some procedures following the death of an elderly woman whose widower claimed nurses did not know how to care for her properly.

An inquest is being held by Derby and Derbyshire Coroners Court this week for Burton woman Sylvia Lindsay, 70, who died at Royal Derby Hospital.

Kidney patient Mrs Lindsay died after she suffered an infection following an exploratory operation. Her widower Roy said that after surgery, he noticed that ther nursing staff did not seem to know how to properly check her dialysis bag.

He said this was important because the colour of the liquid could be a clue to any infection. On the third day of the inquest yesterday, a hospital representative said it had made sure nurses know how and why they need to check dialysis bags.

Those receiving the treatment are connected for a number of hours to a machine which drains fluid into a bag. If the liquid is a “champagne” colour, this would be normal. Any sign of cloudiness would indicate an infection and possible peritonitis (a serious stomach infection) Mrs Lindsay’s husband, Roy told the hearing.

Simon Tate, representing the Royal Derby Hospital said: “One of the things the nurses are looking at is not only when we record checking of the bags but whether there should be some more guidance.”

He told assistant coroner Rachel Syed: “That is something that, irrespective of your ruling, will be looked at by the nursing team and it was no coincidence that the matron was here for both previous days to hear the evidence.”

On the first day of the inquest, Mr Lindsay told how he believed more could have been done by the hospital when her health deteriorated after surgery for a thyroid condition.

Mr Lindsay said the couple owned a home and a boat in Florida and would spend roughly half of the year there.

Mrs Lindsay was found to have high levels of calcium in July 2014, which was potentially dangerous, so they returned to their Rolleston Road home in Burton permanently.

Her quality of life was getting worse, Mr Lindsay said, and he grew anxious of waiting for his wife to have surgery to find the cause.

On September 9, 2014 she had surgery on her thyroid. Mr Lindsay recalled being asked by a nurse on the ward how to fill his wife’s peritoneal dialysis bag with the correct fluid.

A few days later Mrs Lindsay’s health deteriorated, with her husband explaining that she was “struggling to breathe” and she died in the early hours of September 16, 2014.

Mr Lindsay said his main concerns were that more could have been done to identify the infection.

Ms Syed confirmed a conclusion and outcome to the inquest would be heard today.