We could have done better, admits nurse after hospital deaths

The chief nurse of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals has admitted that staff “could have done better” to prevent the deaths of two pensioners at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

An inquest at Hove Crown Court last month heard that Brian Waller, 72, died after falling out of bed in April last year ,while in May, Edward Warneford, 66, died in the same ward after choking on his false teeth.

Local coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley strongly criticised the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust in her ruling, but chief nurse Sherree Fagge has assured families of the deceased that ‘lessons have been learned’.

“We are however profoundly aware that for both Mr Waller and Mr Warneford we could have done better and we have met with both their families to apologise, listen to their concerns and assure them that lessons have been learned,” Sherree Fagge said in a statement.

“We have introduced some major changes focused completely on the quality of our nursing care. Every week all of our most senior nurses, including myself, are working on the wards undertaking direct patient care alongside front line nursing staff.

“What I see … is that the majority of our nurses are working hard and carrying out their duties with the kindness and compassion we would want for our own families.”

Read more on this story from The Daily Telegraph or The Press Association.

Related Posts:

• Plans for hospital redevelopment to go on display
• Second woman reveals dead baby error at Brighton hospital
• Mum-to-be wrongly told unborn baby was dead at Brighton hospital
• RSCH make life-saving improvements to heart attack treatment
• Man stabbed with a bottle in Brighton

Posted by Joseph Lewis on March 13, 2010. Filed under Brighton and Hove News,Brighton Health News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry