HOSPITAL chiefs say they have implemented new procedures for the management of trauma victims in the wake of the tragic death of a Ramsbottom teenager.

Nicholas Hitchen was taken to the former Bury General Hospital's accident and emergency department following a road accident on June 14, 2001, but doctors failed to diagnose 18 fractures.

When his condition deteriorated and it was recognised that the 19-year-old needed emergency surgery, he was too ill to be transferred to another hospital and he died soon afterwards.

This week, parents Christine and Kevin Hitchen revealed they had agreed a settlement for compensation and costs from the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust more than three years after the tragedy.

In a statement from Dr Roger Glew, medical director of the Trust, he said the trust accepted there were "shortcomings with the standard of care".

He said: "I want to reassure the Hitchen family and the public of Bury, that lessons have been learnt and new procedures for the management of major trauma have been implemented."

The changes have been welcomed by Nicholas' grieving parents, who are still waiting for the hospital to apologise for the death of their son.

Speaking at the family home in Whittingham Drive, Ramsbottom, Mrs Hitchen said: "If the new procedures introduced to prevent another life being lost then that will be Nicholas's legacy."

Talking about the night of her son's accident, Mrs Hitchen said she and her husband reached Bury General Hospital within minutes of Nicholas's arrival in the accident and emergency department.

"We were told by the hospital staff that Nick had no life threatening injuries and nothing to worry about.

"They took three X-rays but said there was no obvious fractures. Nick was conscious and kept saying he had severe chest pains.

"I had a gut feeling there was something more serious going on inside. I asked the doctor if he knew what he was doing, if he could cope.

"Nick's friends and his grandparents were told by nurses that they didn't have to stay and that they could come back the following day to visit him. They did not seem to be worried."

However, Mrs Hitchen's fears for her son escalated at around 1am on July 15 when doctors put Nicholas on a ventilator to help control his breathing.

"I was getting the impression that Nicholas was not going to survive," she said. "A consultant arrived and said Nick needed emergency surgery, but by that time he was too ill be moved to another hospital. At 2.20am, Nick died."

An Independent Review Panel investigated the events surrounding Nicholas's death and considered it was "unlikely that surgery at any stage" would have made any difference to the tragic outcome.

However, Mrs Hitchen disputes the findings.

She said: "The doctors told an inquest that they did everything right and the Independent Panel concluded that nothing could have been done to save his life. Complete rubbish!

"We have evidence from several doctors who specialise in thoracic surgery that Nick would have had a 55 per cent chance of survival if he had had surgery.

"When you see that in black and white it makes us feel very sad but also angry our son was never even given the chance of life by those doctors who should be made personally accountable for their actions."

Despite claims the Trust has apologised for Nicholas's death, the Hitchen family have only received a letter offering condolences.

"That does not amount to an apology nor does the one issued this week in a press release from the Trust. When the chief executive apologises to me face-to-face then I will be able to draw a line under this and I will finally be able to properly grieve for my son."

A spokeswoman for the Trust confirmed it would be making contact with the Hitchen family to resolve the matter.