Inquest to investigate death of man who went into hospital twice with a chest infection
Walsall Manor Hospital
11/11/2008
An inquest is due to open today (11:00am Tuesday 11th November) at Walsall Coroner's Court, Moat Road into the death of 59-year-old Wednesbury man, Alan Shakespeare.
Alan was admitted to Walsall Manor Hospital on 9 November 2007, suffering from a chest infection. During his stay he contracted MRSA and he was discharged on 14 January before fully recovering from either condition. He remained unwell and was readmitted to the hospital on 28 January 2008.
For reasons that are as yet unclear, the doctors responsible for his care determined that it was necessary to insert a Hickman line - a tube that is placed in a large vein to give fluids and drugs. This inadvertently penetrated his right lung resulting in a pneumothorax or collapsed lung, which then filled with fluid.
A chest drain was inserted to re-inflate his lung and Mr Shakespeare was transferred to the high dependency unit. Some days later the chest drain ceased to work and Mr Shakespeare's condition began to deteriorate.
Mr Shakespeare's family believe that the doctors did not actively treat Mr Shakespeare for some time and subsequent attempts to insert further chest drains failed. Sadly, he passed away on 28 February.
One of Mr Shakespeare's children, also called Alan, said: "My family is absolutely devastated by his death. He had retired from his work as a steel setter and slitter because of back problems and he also suffered from emphysema.
"That said, he lived a normal life, playing an active role in running and maintaining his home and garden and helping my mother, Gillian, who works as a carer, 30-40 hours per week.
"I have two siblings, Andrew and Kelly, an adopted brother Robert and my mother has two foster sons Lee and Nathan, the latter has learning disabilities and mother is his carer.
"My Mother faces the prospect of giving up her work to care for Nathan, something which my father used to do when she was out of the house."
Victoria Blankstone, a solicitor with the Birmingham office of law firm, Irwin Mitchell, acting for the Shakespeares, said: "Alan Shakespeare's family are understandably very distressed by the circumstances of his death. He went into hospital with a chest infection and they are concerned that the care he received may have been negligent and led to his untimely death.
"In addition to their concern about the alleged need for a Hickman line they feel that more active treatment should have been sought after the lung collapsed. This did not happen until 26 February, when Consultant General Surgeon, Dr Khan, contacted a Consultant Thoracic Surgeon for assistance at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital. Mr Shakespeare was by this stage so unwell that he could not be transferred for treatment and two days later he died.
"We very much hope the inquest will uncover exactly what happened to Mr Shakespeare."