Family of Darwen man call for hospital answers (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Family of Darwen man call for hospital answers

9:00am Sunday 12th February 2012 in News

THE family of a 27-year-old teaching assistant who died from cancer have lodged an official complaint over his treatment at Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Paul Nixon died three months after being diagnosed with a rare sarcoma tumour.

His parents Lynn and David are demanding an apology after complaining about the hospital’s failure to detect his condition earlier and the nursing care he received.

In a letter to the family, hospital bosses said action would be taken over concerns about the attitude of some nurses on Paul’s ward.

A meeting has also been offered between senior staff and clinicians with the Nixon family to discuss their concerns.

Lynn said: “Paul was a kind and caring lad who never had a bad word to say about anybody. He was loving, loyal and had a funny sense of humour.”

David said: “We’ve not got the answers we asked for. We’re asking for the answers to the real questions.”

Paul, who worked at his former school, Crosshills, in Blackburn, discovered a growth on his leg in mid-July last year.

Together with Lynn and David, of Huntingdon Drive, Darwen, he went to see his GP.

His leg then continued to swell and Paul, who had moderate learning difficulties, was admitted to the Royal Blackburn Hospital on July 22 after complaining it was sore.

It was initially thought that the growth was an abcess, so an MRI scan was not carried out, and he was discharged two days later.

When a scan was done on August 12, it was discovered he actually had a sarcoma tumour, an abnormal growth in the connective tissues.

After Paul’s death in November, the family complained that: * He should have had an MRI on his first admission; * Despite requests to speak to a doctor after the scan Paul and his mum had to wait until late the next morning to be told he had cancer.

* When his doctor recommended Paul be urgently referred to a specialist the family heard nothing for a week. Eventually Mrs Nixon managed to contact the right consultant, but he had no knowledge of Paul.

* There was a lack of knowledge of sarcomas at the hospital, which made it difficult for Paul to be properly cared for.

* When his father went to visit, nursing staff were unaware Paul was being cared for on the ward.

* One member of staff was rude and unhelpful while nursing staff failed to introduce themselves to Paul and his family.

In the hospital’s response to the complaint, the trust accepted there were issues with the attitude of some nurses and staff had been spoken to.

The letter, signed by chief executive Mark Brearley, said: “I am extremely sorry that you felt it necessary to complain at such a distressing time and can only only apologise to you and your family for any anxiety that could have been avoided had there been better communication from both staff groups.”

It also said that there had appeared to be some improvement when Paul was initially admitted into hospital and placed on antibiotics, although the family disputes this.

The response also left the Nixon family dissatisfied as it did not refer to several of their other complaints.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said a meeting was being arranged between senior staff and clinicians and the Nixon family to discuss their concerns.

But Mrs Nixon said she wanted to meet with someone higher up.

She said: “I’ve stated I don’t want a meeting with those people, I want someone more senior.

“I am taking advice from The Independent Complaints Advocacy Service over who to arrange a meeting with.

“All I really want is an apology and for training to be done around sarcomas so staff know what they are dealing with.”

The family have said they will be holding a number of fundraisers this year to raise awareness of sarcomas.

Paul’s sister, Leah Nixon, will be doing a sponsored skydive later in the year.