'Doris', an elderly lady, developed severe pressure sores which became infected and left her severely debilitated. District nurses, who were supposed to be caring for her in the community, had failed to take measures to prevent them.

Her family sought help from Steven Brown, one of the specialist solicitors in the clinical negligence team at JMW, and she was later awarded a settlement of £31,000.

Failure to prevent pressure sores from developing.

Doris’ ordeal began when she was admitted to hospital suffering from water retention and uncontrollable pain due to osteoporosis. She was discharged six weeks later and developed red marks on her heel and toe. The hospital arranged for district nurses to visit Doris three times a week to monitor her condition and provide basic care and her family visited her daily.

Doris’ daughter-in-law asked the district nurses if they could provide Doris with pressure-relieving devices. However, the nurses said that they did not supply these items.

Despite Doris being at significant risk of pressure sores due to her poor mobility, the district nurses who attended to her did not undertake a proper risk assessment. As such, they did not formulate a plan to ensure steps were taken to manage her condition and prevent pressure sores from developing.

Care plan was not put in place

Due to this lack of basic care over the coming weeks, Doris developed pressure sores on her heels and one of her toes, which became more and more severe. They were now causing Doris significant pain and discomfort and because of this she at times became very confused.

Despite Doris’ poor mobility from the deteriorating pressure sores on her heel and toe, an appropriate care plan was not put in place and this resulted in her developing a further pressure sore on her sacrum. However yet again the nurses responsible for her care failed to ensure these were treated effectively. In addition, the nurses failed to refer Doris for hospital treatment or to her GP despite the severity of her injuries.

In just a few weeks the pressure sores on Doris’ heels had deteriorated from grade one to grade four due to the poor care from the district nurses. The pressure sore that had developed on her sacrum was also now grade four

Hospitalisation

Doris’ condition eventually deteriorated to the point that she was hospitalised with delirium. As well as the extensive pressure sores she was also suffering from dehydration, diarrhoea, worsening anaemia and liver function problems.

Her daughter-in-law called the district nurse team to let them know how upset the whole family was with the treatment Doris had received under their care.

A few weeks later Doris was discharged from hospital and went to live in a nursing home as she was now unable to live in her own home due to the deterioration in her health.

Settlement secured

Doris’ family were so appalled by the care she had received under the district nurses and how it had affected her both mentally and physically that they turned to the specialist medical negligence team at JMW for advice. Doris’ case was taken on by Steven Brown and although nothing could make up for such suffering he was able to secure Doris £31,000.