Healthcare under scrutiny after series of mistakes and mix-ups

A FATHER-OF-TWO is demanding answers after he says two hospitals failed to take responsibility for "blunders" he fears will leave him disabled.

Window cleaner David Beach was rushed to Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, when he broke his neck last September after falling 20ft from his ladder.

Mr Beach and his family were told his X-rays would be sent to the specialist neurology department at King's College Hospital, central London, for advice on his treatment.

Mr Beach, of Corbylands Road, Sidcup, was eventually diagnosed with a C7 stable fracture, meaning the broken bone was "secure", and discharged six days later, with the impression surgery was not required.

However, over the next month he started to experience intense pain and lost the feeling in his right arm leaving his worried partner Joanne Turner to press for an appointment at King's College where he was eventually seen on October 24.

Mr Beach, 41, said: "The consultant who looked at my scans said it was an unstable fracture and I needed an urgent operation.

"He told us Queen Mary's had only sent a report stating I had a stable fracture of the C7."

The unstable bone in Mr Beach's neck has now slipped and is pinching his spinal cord, which has caused possible permanent nerve damage to his right arm.

Prior to his operation, Mr Beach tested positive for a skin infection of MRSA, which had to be treated before surgery could take place.

Mr Beach said: "The doctors at King's said it was likely to have come from Queen Mary's.

"I am disgusted with Queen Mary's. They lied to me. As for King's it has been a series of blunders and delays."

A Queen Mary's spokesman said: "We are satisfied the correct diagnosis was made.

"He was given an X-ray and a Cat scan and these slides were sent to King's College who advised us his fracture was stable.

"It is likely Mr Beach did pick up MRSA while at Queen Mary's but it is important to note he was only a carrier of MRSA and he was not infected with it."

Mr Beach was finally operated on on January 8 at King's College Hospital, although the surgery, which involved the insertion of metal screws and rods was not successful.

The wound is now infected with MRSA and he will have to undergo treatment before he can have further surgery.

His partner has made an official complaint to King's College with regard to delays in his treatment.

Miss Turner said: "Two major hospitals have been involved and no-one seems to know who is to blame.

"We want answers and we want them now."

A King's College spokesman said the hospital was investigating the complaint and would not comment on the case.

Patients want GP struck off after poor treatment
By Robert Fisk

A GROUP of patients is calling for their former doctor to be struck off.

Last week we reported how Dr Peter Fish banned pensioner George Ashman from his surgery after a confrontation over his wife's condition.

Since then we have been inundated with calls from people upset about the way they were treated when they attended the Westwood Surgery, Westwood Lane, Welling.

Mother of two Linda Peters, 47, of Buckingham Avenue, Welling, is terminally ill with a form of lung cancer.

She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996 and thought it might have returned when she started getting pains in her head and lungs last June.

Mrs Peters claims Dr Fish threw her out of the surgery when she did not want the anti-depressants he tried to prescribe her.

Mrs Peters says the doctor told her: "You're wasting my time. You realise we work 80 hours a week and you come to me with made-up symptoms'."

Mrs Peters collapsed on October 31, and was rushed to hospital where three and a half litres of fluid were drained from her lungs.

She has been told the cancer is inoperable and will leave a husband Roger, 57, and two sons Mark, 20, and Neil, 15.

"I'm angry because I shall never know if this could have been prevented. My wish was to see my kids grow up and now I won't get that.

"He should be investigated and struck off."

Emphysema sufferer Pat Murphy, 77, of Buckingham Avenue, says Dr Fish told her to leave his surgery after she told him she used to smoke.

"It was just so unpleasant the way he spoke.

"My opinion is he's not a good doctor."

Sixty-nine-year old Margaret Rudkin called Dr Fish out to see her husband John, 63, a cancer sufferer, at their home in Hudson Road, Bexleyheath, on Christmas Eve 1999.

He told him he was suffering from vertigo.

Mr Rudkin was rushed to hospital for a blood transfusion the next day and died of cancer in June 2000.

A multiple sclerosis sufferer, who did not want to be named, says she was sent to a psychiatrist after Dr Fish refused to believe she had pains in her legs.

Mr Ashman and Mrs Peters have made formal complaints about Dr Fish to the Bexley Care Trust, which administers GP services across the borough.

A spokesman for Bexley Care Trust said: "Bexley Care Trust does not consider it appropriate individual patient concerns are addressed in the local media.

"These should be dealt with through the NHS complaints procedure.

"If patients have any concerns, they can call the Patient Advice and Liaison Service at Bexley Care Trust on 0800 328 9712."

Dr Fish said: "As a practice, we take complaints seriously and undertake a thorough investigation.

"We respond to all complaints in detail in accordance with NHS procedure."

Losing appointments

QUEEN Mary's Hospital has admitted losing "some" patient appointment records after a new computer system was installed.

The Sidcup hospital says there were "minor teething problems" with the new system but insists the issue has been rectified.

But Janet Read, of Hillingdon Road, Barnehurst, says a member of staff at the hospital told her a "huge" number of records had been wiped out and could not be retrieved.

The 66-year-old widow was seen at the hospital in July last year after complaining of double vision and headaches.

Mrs Read was then told she would need to be referred to the hospital's eye consultant and an appointment would be made for her.

By Christmas, she had still received no word from the hospital and contacted its patient advice and liaison officer.

Mrs Read said: "She told me a huge amount of patient appointment records were gone and short of patients phoning in and making themselves known again, the hospital would have no real idea of the exact extent of the loss.

"I think the hospital has really let people down. There could be hundreds of people out there who think they are on the waiting list but are not."

The new system, installed in November, meant transferring and updating nearly 500,000 patient records from one system to another.

A hospital spokesman said: "Our patient advice and liaison officer does not recall telling anyone we had lost patient records.

"During the data migration process, from our old computer system to our new one, some appointments for ophthalmology clinics made on one particular day did not transfer successfully.

"Those patients whose appointments were lost have been rebooked as we became aware of them and all urgent cases were seen as soon as they were identified. We would like to apologise to any patients affected."