NHS Horror 7/1/06 - 11/1/06

UPTO DATE NEWS - We now know that there was more to this case than we originally thought.
See LATEST NEWS on the Homepage to see how the Dangerous Drug Register had been altered - which contravenes the 'Misuse of Drugs Act 1971'!

'WE HAD RECEIVED A LETTER FROM SIR ANDREW CASH OBE', Chief Executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust - nearly 4 years after the death of Thomas Milner. In this letter Sir Andrew lists time of set up and refill of Thomas's syringe driver. He had got it all wrong, but to compound the cover up, the Dangerous Drugs Register has been altered. The amount of Morphine signed out on the Palliative Care Ward, Sheffield Northern General Hospital, just does not match the amount of morphine used on this MacMillan Palliative Care Ward. THIS JUST SHOWS THE CHAOS WHICH IS THE NHS and PALLIATIVE CARE SYSTEM AND TO WHAT LENGTHS THE NHS WILL GO TO IN AN ATTEMPT TO COVER UP A MISTAKE!

A 'catalogue of errors' in Tom's treatment and end of life healthcare decisions were made during his last 5 days whilst at the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield.
It is quite clear to us that a lot of the NHS 'initiatives', NHS 'new strategies' and NHS' job creation schemes', just add to the total confusion that is all around within the NHS. WHERE IS COMMON SENSE AND BASIC CARE? Training in Palliative Medicine does not always mean care and compassion is given to the dying!

Tom had developed Acute Myeloid Leukaemia 6 months earlier and was terminally ill. He had begun to haemorrhage but was 'liquid' resuscitated at A.& E.7/1/06 when it CLEARLY said in the Medical Notes DNR. Thomas Milner had Terminal Myeloid Leukaemia and had been receiving weekly blood transfusions - he was dying. (He was resuscitated to end up 4 days later 'pulling at the sheets' with tears coming down his face and Palliative Care Doctors and Nurses NOT GIVING CORRECT TERMINAL PAIN CONTROL MEDICATION.)

After having been resuscitated he was moved to the MAU ward and placed on 5mgs. morphine per hour and we were told that this was 'the most humane thing to do'.

Tom was then transferred 8/1/06, to another area and another 'team', who because of the discretion needed in the administering of 'powerful' terminal sedation, did not know he was on 5mg. morphine per hour and reduced his morphine intake which allowed Tom to become agitated and frightened. He now began to be receive 2.5mgs of morphine every 2 hours.

Another new 'team' 9/1/06 (2.00a.m), then set up a syringe driver at the base/starting level of 10mgs. morphine over 24 hours, with prescribed top ups of extra morphine as required. As well as this transfused 10mgs. of terminal morphine medication, he continued to need extra subcutaneous injections of morphine every couple of hours.

Then another new 'team' later on 9/1/06 (18.00p.m.) decided to transfer him from his 'death bed' to the Palliative Care Ward. He was pushed in a wheelchair outside in the bitterly cold weather wearing only pyjamas as the Palliative Care Ward at Sheffield's Northern General Hospital is seperate from the Main Hospital building.
He had to sit there looking very poorly while more administrative forms were filled in (incorrectly - as I have now seen in the medical notes).
The syringe driver with it's 10mgs. morphine was still in place and during the first 14 hours on the Palliative Care ward he needed 6 x 5mgs. morphine top ups (prn).

The Palliative Care Consultant who did a round 10.30a.m. 10/1/06 DID NOT increase the syringe driver to take into consideration the extra top ups that had been required in the previous 24 hours (which is standard palliative care practice). The morphine syringe driver at the time had been in situ for 32 hours BUT she left it holding just 10mgs.

Then a new 'team' of palliative care nurses on the afternoon shift 10/1/06, Tom's penultimate day, REFUSED to give him his prescribed top up morphine although he was twisting and turning in agony. They wrote 'Tom being given Dandelion and Burdock - this enough to settle him. Didn't need any medication'.

A 'new' team change of palliative care nurses later 8.30p.m.10/1/06 decided at 'lot of top up morphine was needed'.

Another 'new' team of palliative care nurses 8.00a.m. 11/1/06 WOULDN'T give Tom any medication and told us we would have to wait for the Dr's to do their rounds.

In desperation we called the family G.P. as Tom was 'pulling at the sheets' (noted in medical notes) with tears coming down his cheeks.

A Junior doctor appeared, doubled the dose in the syringe driver to 20mgs. over 24 hours (doubling of morphine doses is not standard palliative care practice) and he died 1 hour later!

The Palliative Care Ward then wrote to the wrong G.P. to advise of Thomas Milner's death! DID THEY KNOW WHICH PATIENT THEY WERE TREATING?

WHAT IS GOING ON? THE NHS IS LOOKING LIKE A RIGHT 'CARRY ON'.

UPTO DATE LATEST NEWS!

SIR ANDREW CASH OBE, CHIEF EXEC. OF THE SHEFFIELD TEACHING HOSPITAL TRUST has written to our UK M.P. He states that a syringe driver was set up on the Palliative Care Ward at 22.50p.m. on the 9/1/06!

Can SIR ANDREW read?

It clearly states in the Medical Notes that the syringe driver was set up at 2.00a.m. 9/1/06 on the Medical Assessment Unit - this is another ward in another building at Sheffield's Northern General Hospital!

He DOES highlight the fact that a syringe driver should be increased to take into consideration any top up or extra morphine that has been required in the preceeding 24 hours.

The Palliative Care Consultant at 10.30a.m. 10/1/06 failed to increase the syringe driver amount to take into consideration the 30mgs. of extra morphine that had been required whilst on the Palliative Care Ward (14 hours). Not to mention the extra amount or morphine that had been needed whilst still on the medical assessment unit (MAU)!

Tom's terminal medication syringe driver, for the whole 55 hour period, held ONLY 10mgs. morphine and he went to his death frightened, twisting and turning in agony with tears coming down his face!

Suffering has no boundaries, neither should compassion.

GOD HELP US ALL AND SHAME ON THEM

The Northern General Hospital

The Sheffield Teaching Hospital Foundation Trust

National Health Service