Harrowing account of Martha Mill's death at 13 in Guardian today

[StaplesCorner]

I don't think there's another thread on this already I did a search, but I think this needs to be widely read - there seems to have been no lack of NHS resources here whatsoever, but consultants' arrogance by the spade; shades of This is Going to Hurt? Every parents' worst nightmare:

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/sep/03/13-year-old-daughter-dead-in-five-weeks-hospital-mistakes

Thank you for raising this. I lost my child on the NHS. I was too trusting. Wish I’d sued the cunts, but I though naaah - it won’t bring her back, was meant to be that way etc etc. It took years to process everything bea fire in realised I should have fought. Thank you for highlighting the article.

My father was going to be operated on for a stomach tumour. I questioned his surgeon on many things. The surgeon then refused to operate on him as he said we didn’t have confidence in him. The arrogance.

@Decidualcast

"My father was going to be operated on for a stomach tumour. I questioned his surgeon on many things. The surgeon then refused to operate on him as he said we didn’t have confidence in him"

Did you?

Thats really sad ,I don't think there is anything more you could have done though ,it sounds like a horribly tragic situation.

@notimagain good question. After my daughter died, I did exactly what was advocated in the article - question everything and Google as much as you can. Consultant didn’t like it. I was pretty agnostic when I met him - didn’t have any info to suggest he wasn’t competent. But, he didn’t appreciate being questioned. As such, it was the best thing he refused to operate.

I get the impression there are some seriously slopey shoulders among those doctors, all trying to blame each other for miscommunication etc. She had every symptom going, how the hell did they miss it??

It is rediculous but I have experience on more than one occasion of people being unfortunate enough to get seriously ill on a bank holiday weekend and there care being substandard as a result.

I don’t trust doctors tbh too many mistakes. The vast majority have highly inflated egos and believe they are god plus the majority are snobs and dismissive of women. She would have probably died in wales without an airlift if she was from my background.

when i worked in the private sector consultants HAD to have NHS work in order to get BUPA funding

What have I just read? My heart goes out to that poor family, and that child, who knew she was dying.

A lot of people here look down their noses at the US and all the alleged over testing in American medicine, and the litigiousness of Americans, but if ever there was a case for lawyering up, this is it. The NHS no blame culture leads to 'poor outcomes'.

I remember how shocked my mum was decades ago when an Irish couple sued a leading Dublin OB/Gyn and the hospital he practised in because of catastrophic birth injuries suffered by their baby as a result of his negligence. Mum had been operated on by this doctor a few years previously and couldn't get over how nice he was. He was nice. But the woman who sued on behalf of her brain damaged baby was also nice, and she and her brain damaged baby and his dead twin deserved 100% better medical care than they got.

Mum was also shocked to learn how much my late FIL, an American surgeon, paid annually in malpractice insurance. The idea that doctors are gods is one that needs to die a swift death.

Ego and hierarchy kill patients in hospitals where paying out a fortune in malpractice judgements is an unlikely possibility.

When Martha was first I'll , she wasn't that ill until the night.

What would a doctor seeing her have done?.

I'e would a.doctor have ordered a scan?

When I want a doctor to see my DC via 111 I usually have to go through 5 call handlers.

I had the most cold arrogant consultant when my df was dying.
I had a migraine myself due to the intense stress, and because of this I was struggling to understand her or follow her.
Said coldly " I'm here to treat your father,not you".

I was fucking gobsmacked..
She said other atrocious thing's to me as well.

I gave birth to my oldest on boxing day I was induced on Xmas day it was a traumatic labour and he was born not breathing with his cord wrapped tightly round his neck three times ,they rushed him off and gave him oxygen and thankfully he was fine ,and he will be 16 this boxing day , there but for the grace of God.

@eatingapie

Accountability

Huge

Mr big treating private patients v NHS where he has a wall of protection and desperation around him v people paying huge sums for services where he can get sacked

I worked for the nhs for 15 years and sadly this article,does not surprise me at all. I have genuinely lost count of the number of near misses I’ve seen, some of which I picked up on myself and I know that I have saved lives doing so, things missed by both doctors and nurses. For the majority of those patients they’d have been fairly unaware of how close they came to a seriously bad outcome.

I’m not saying I’m perfect, I’m sure I’ve made mistakes.....but generally I’m thorough, I’m cautious, I will get a doctor to come and review and if I’m still worried I will think nothing of ringing the consultant for a 2nd opinion and saying I’m not happy with the registrar.

I rang a consultant once at 8am after taking handover from the night shift saying the woman in room x had been unwell overnight, I took one look at the woman and rang the consultant who was in the ward 5 mins later and the woman was in theatre ten min after that having her internal bleeding repaired.

I’ve rung a consultant who wasn’t even on call at 4am before and begged him to come because the on call consultant was out their depth in theatre. Got him to come in from home. I treat every patient like I’d like a relative of mine to be treated. I listen to relatives. This is a heartbreaking article.

Thank you for acting in this way. For someone like me who has been treated so badly by the NHS in the past I find your post very moving. It’s good to know there are good people trying to do the right thing.

My God that’s hard reading. What a truly tragic situation. The fact that Martha’s death was preventable must be just impossible for her parents & sister to bear.

Wow, that is absolutely heartbreaking and terrifying. My heart goes out to Martha and her family. It brings home that when we are in hospital we are so incredibly vulnerable, and reliant on people who ought to be taking care of us

Absolutely heartbreaking.

This is heartbreaking.

Will anything change because of this?

Im so sorry to read this. Poor Martha and her family.

and recent case of Archie, his mum was heavily criticised for trusting her gut and not believing the doctors

@QuebecBagnet
That's wonderful but none of us should feel greatful for that.

This is what caring and saving lives I

I think staff become desensitised.

i am hopeful that today's future doctors are taught compassion, less arrogance, better communication, etc

Devestating as an NHS nurse and mother, I cannot believe the catalogue of errors. All trust's are different, as a small trust we have some brilliant systems. We use NEWS score and the elevated levels and blood results of all patients get seen by critical care. This promotes a quick reaction. I would say highlight concerns to Nurse in charge or matron and if no joy there,PALS are good, I think even the chief executive. It is very difficult to challenge HCP though and I say that as one, as a patient and relative you are very vulnerable.

I don't think these two tragic cases are comparable at all in Archies case ,The medical and nursing staff went above and beyond even though the situation was futile .

I don't want to start on what I've seen in NHS hospitals but sadly this doesn't surprise me at all

I couldn't pick up the length of her hospital stay from the article, did anyone pick up on that?

I do realise that we are just a conveyor belt of crap for people who, understandably, have compassion fatigue. But there are actual clear medical indicators here of her need for a transfer to PICU, and a place in PICU. Someone's ego caused this.