Coroner attacks hospital methods

A health trust has responded to criticism by a coroner that a Gloucestershire hospital's record keeping was "wholly inadequate".

Alan Crickmore recorded an accidental death verdict at the inquest of Audrey Allen, 77, from Cornwall, who suffered a brain injury in Stroud Hospital.

Mr Crickmore said doctors' verbal diagnosis of a brain bleed made in November 2006 had not been recorded.

Gloucestershire NHS PCT said they would review hospital procedures as a result.

That standard of record keeping is wholly inadequate in this day and age and gives rise to suspicion on the part of families Gloucestershire coroner Alan Crickmore

Mrs Allen, of Bonson Close, West Looe, had a hip screw operation at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in November last year after suffering a fall.

She was moved to Stroud Hospital shortly afterwards but within six days she was discovered lying on her back, covered in vomit.

Doctors considered the possibility that Mrs Allen might have suffered a brain injury at some point after her admission, but it was not noted in her treatment plan.

She died on 10 December at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, where she had been transferred as an emergency patient.

'Awkward position'

Pathologist Dr Linmarie Ludeman gave the cause of death as a subdural haematoma, a traumatic brain injury.

In the inquest on Thursday, Gloucestershire coroner Mr Crickmore said: "The fact that the differential diagnosis of an intra-cranial bleed was not written down leaves the doctor in an awkward position, because there is an assumption that if something is not written down then it didn't happen.

"That standard of record keeping is wholly inadequate in this day and age and gives rise to suspicion on the part of families that their loved ones are not being properly cared for or getting the attention that they deserve.

"If nothing else comes from this case then one would hope that a more assiduous level of record keeping would result."

In a statement, Gloucestershire NHS PCT said: "We are committed to providing the highest standards of patient care and treatment, and staff at Stroud General Hospital are very much part of that.

"We will review the record keeping arrangements in this particular case so that we can learn any lessons which will help to further improve communication in the future."