Probe as stroke patient ‘put on death pathway’
A HOSPITAL is investigating whether a recovering stroke patient was wrongly placed on a controversial ‘death pathway’.
Walter Prescott was admitted to hospital after suffering a fit in the care home where he was being rehabilitated following a stroke.
The 62-year-old’s family claim that when he was discharged back to the care home two days later, shocked staff discovered the hospital had placed him on an ‘endof-life’ regime that could have led to his death ‘within days’.
His sister Helen said the ex-railwayman quickly recovered after being taken off the regime.
A doctor at the care home, Priory Highbank in Bury, Greater Manchester, has now complained to nearby Fairfield Hospital about its care of Mr Prescott.
Police are already probing the death of Mr Prescott’s mother, Hilde, aged 88, in similar circumstances in another hospital.
Miss Prescott, 63, said: ‘I was shocked, I thought, “Not again.”’
Greater Manchester Police said they were reviewing the deaths of six patients at the hospital where Hilde died – Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan – after complaints over end-of-life care.
The NHS Trust responsible for the Infirmary strongly rejects Miss Prescott’s claims and says it is confident the police will con- clude there was no wrongdoing. But critics said the cases suggested doctors were still unnecessarily shortening the lives of patients several years after the Government scrapped the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway.
Under the LCP, patients thought to be close to death were sedated and had food and fluids withdrawn. But there were cases of neglect and painful dehydration.
Mr Prescott, unable to speak following throat cancer, was admitted to Fairfield’s stroke unit in November. His sister said that on his return to the care home, its staff ‘said the Trust had put him on end-of-life care’ – something she would never have agreed to, after her experience with her mother. ‘If I and the care home had not taken action to restore his normal medication, he could have been a gonner in about two days,’ she added. ‘He is quite with it – certainly not end of life.’
Professor Patrick Pullicino, the neurologist who helped expose the LCP in 2012, said there were still big concerns over NHS palliative care. He called for new ‘fully evidence-based’ guidelines.
Fairfield Hospital, part of Pennine Acute NHS Hospitals Trust, said an internal inquiry is under way. Priory Highbank said it did not comment on individuals.
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust said: ‘We can confirm Mrs Prescott was already very, very poorly when she was repatriated to Wigan Infirmary from another hospital.
‘WWL absolutely refute the claims the patient did not receive the most appropriate care. WWL does not, nor at the time in question, use any version of the Liverpool Care Pathway. WWL are helping police with their investigation which has been instigated at the request of the families. ‘We anticipate the police investigation will conclude there has been no criminal wrongdoing on the part of WWL.’
‘I was shocked… I thought: Not again’