‘A year of suffering pain and distress’

AN Omagh woman who was willing to keep an incident of potential medical negligence private has went public ‘out of frustration’ with the Western Trust’s Complaints Policy.

Helen Colemen’s hip fracture was overlooked by staff in South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) about a year ago, leading to unnecessary pain, psychological suffering and financial stress.

Despite this, until recently, the 58-year-old was prepared to keep these matters between her, the regional health authority, her GP and a few other interested parties.

This week, however, frustrated and angry at being made wait ten months for a satisfactory response from the local trust, Ms Coleman refiled a case with Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) and spoke with the Ulster Herald about the ‘saga’ she has been forced to endure since late last year.

“In November 2023, I called an ambulance and was taken to Enniskillen, where I told the doctor and female staff member tending to me that I had severe pain in my hip and groin.

“The doctor assessed me and came up with a diagnosis of lumbar radiculopathy, a condition caused by compression of nerves that exist at the root of the spine,” Ms Coleman said.

“After that, I was sent home in a taxi, having been prescribed a box of painkillers.”

Over the next few weeks, Ms Coleman, who has twice survived cancer, was afflicted by an intensifying pain.

“I knew there was something wrong, so on December 13 I undertook an excruciatingly painful journey to London.

“I used a stick to walk short distances and received help from a few Good Samaritans along the way. An Omagh taximan helped me get from his car into the airport. Several helpful strangers assisted me through the terminal and onto the plane.

”And a London cab driver aided me into the hospital, where I received the treatment and care I required.”

Ms Coleman spent nine hours in the Royal London Hospital, where she received blood tests, CT scans and an X-ray.

“Because of my cancer history, I got further scans to check my organs for primaries or malignancies, which, thankfully, came back clear.”

When she returned home, she wrote to the Western Trust’s Complaints Department.

“The way they have handled my complaint has been lacklustre and cavalier, at best. I sent them my original letter on January 9, 2024.

“It was acknowledged by the office of Chief Executive Neil Guckian on January 10.

“Then it wasn’t until June 17 that I actually heard from him. And I cannot understate the amount of work on my part it took to achieve that response. The holding letters mounted up and I kept having to badger them from a reply. Despite all of this, there are still questions unanswered.

“There are still a number of relevant people whose comments I am yet to hear.”

‘unreserved’ apology

In his response to Ms Coleman, Mr Guckian admitted the doctor assessing her in SWAH should have sent her for an x-ray, apologising ‘unreservedly’ for the part this played in prolonging her pain and distress and delaying her reaching a definitive diagnosis. Furthermore, Mr Guckian apologised for the time it took for a response to be issued to Ms Coleman’s complaint, claiming the doctor originally tasked with reviewing her correspondence went off sick, after which the task was reallocated to a different member of staff, but was overlooked. Additionally, Mr Guckian said that the female member of staff who was involved in Ms Coleman’s assessment could not be identified, as the clinical documentation shows no record of that person having been present.

“I wish to be clear that I am not – and never was – looking to blame anyone. Central to my letter of complaint was that the medical professionals with whom I came into contact from November 23 be informed what happened to me and perhaps express to me that something has been learned or something which went wrong could be improved.

“As it stands, I am still waiting on part of my complaint to be answered. Apparently, the relevant member of staff has provided a comment, but they are waiting for it to be ‘signed off’. To be honest, I never wanted to go to the papers, but I am just so frustrated and fed up. I have been committed, persistent and determined in how I’ve interacted with the complaints department; if I wasn’t, I don’t think I’d have gotten anywhere.”

The Western Trust has offered to reimburse Ms Coleman for the financial cost she incurred by travelling to London.