The last words of a gran who died of DVT after being sent home with antibiotics were ‘make sure they don’t get away with this’
Hospital bosses admit Doreen Trowsdale's death could have been avoided as her family receives £8,000 payout over blunder
THE last words of a gran who died one week after being sent home with antibiotics were: "make sure they don't get away with this".
Doreen Trowsdale, 77, spent her last days "living in fear" after doctors sent her home with medicine for a urinary tract infection - despite suffering from deep vein thrombosis.
This week hospital bosses admitted her death could have been avoided if her condition had been diagnosed.
Her daughter Fiona Nixon has been handed an £8,000 payout, three years after her mum's death.
"We all thought my mum had a lot of life left in her," said Fiona, 43, of Driffield, Yorks.
"She had been so well and had so many more things left to look forward to.
"Losing her came as a massive shock to the whole family.
"The whole experience has completely ruined any faith we had in the health service.
"None of us trust doctors any more.
"It makes me so angry that we lost her in such a horrific way – it was such an awful way to go – and something could have been done about it."
She added: "The worst part was, she was terrified because she knew they had made a mistake.
"Her last days were filled with fear and when she passed the last thing she said to us was 'make sure they don't get away with this'.
"If they had treated her differently, she would have survived. The settlement is an admission and while it is good to get it, it doesn't make up for our loss.
"We will never know how much time she could have had left and we will never get to properly say goodbye.
"That was taken away from us and we will never get it back."
Her last days were filled with fear and when she passed the last thing she said to us was 'make sure they don't get away with this'.
Fiona Nixon
Doreen died of a pulmonary embolism caused by deep vein thrombosis in April 2013 just a week and a half after being sent home from York Hospital's A&E department with medicine for a urinary tract infection.
Widow Doreen, whose husband Peter died of Alzheimer's in 2011 aged 75, was well when she went to visit Fiona, her husband Philip Nixon, 45, and their 10-year-old son Charlie on March 20, 2013.
But later that evening Doreen, who also lived in Driffield, Yorks, called her daughter but was unable to speak – prompting Fiona to call an ambulance and rush to her mum's home.
The mum-of-two and gran-of-three was complaining of swelling, tenderness and warm skin in her left leg – the primary symptoms of DVT – as well as being very confused and short of breath.
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Doreen was rushed to York Hospital's A&E department but after allegedly waiting two hours to see a doctor her family claim she was sent home with antibiotics for a urinary tract infection.
Fiona said her mum was still confused and by the morning the pain in her leg was so bad she couldn't even use the toilet herself.
Doreen was rushed back to Scarborough Hospital the following morning and was diagnosed with DVT.
Doctors discovered this had already caused a pulmonary embolism and the gran died in hospital a week and a half later.
Fiona said the stress of her mum's death had taken its toll on the whole family with her brother Andrew
Trowsdale, 50, forced to take early retirement from the fire service and her son Charlie still getting upset whenever he talks about his gran.
Fiona said: "Seeing someone you love go so suddenly and in such a terrible way is horrendous. It is the last thing you want for one of your parents.
"My brother has had to leave the fire service and take early retirement because he couldn't cope with the stress on top of an already stressful job. It has really finished him off.
"We try to get through it and keep going but we all still have bad days and Charlie gets very upset when talking about his grandma.
"Losing her has left a big space in all of our lives. It is very difficult to move on without knowing exactly how different things could have been."
In a letter of apology sent to Doreen's family, York Hospital's Chief Executive said he was "very sorry" her DVT was not diagnosed.
He said: "I am very sorry that your mother's pulmonary embolism was not diagnosed, and that this resulted in the sad death of your mother.
"I take this opportunity to offer you and your family my sincere sympathy and regret. I recognise that this has been a tragic loss and undoubtedly an incredibly difficult experience for you.
"Please accept my sincere condolences and I hope that the resolution of this claim goes some way to assisting you in the grieving process."
York Hospital Trust confirmed they had apologised to Doreen's family and reached a settlement, while reiterating their "sincere condolences".
A spokesman said: "We have apologised to the family of Mrs Trowsdale for the care that was given to her when she attended the Emergency Department in March 2013.
"We recognise that this has been a tragic loss and an incredibly difficult time for the family.
"A settlement has now been reached and we would again like to offer our sincere condolences to the family."
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