Doctors rapped over hospital death of disabled Tina (From Basildon Recorder)

Doctors rapped over hospital death of disabled Tina

8:20am Thursday 21st March 2013 in News

AN INVESTIGATION into the care given to a woman with learning difficulties will say she was failed by doctors at Basildon Hospital, the Echo can reveal.

Tina Papalabropoulos, 23, died after doctors “did not act in her best interests” according to a report by the Health Service Ombudsman.

Tina from Harris Close, Wickford, who had complex health needs, died from the lung condition aspiration pneumonia, but doctors have been slammed for not providing better care fro her while she was in the hospital.

Her mum Christine, 56, who is part of a Mencap campaign calling for improved treatment for the learning disabled in hospital, said: “I will feel my daughter hasn’t died in vain if I can change it for other people.”

The failings in the report include:

- An out-of-hours GP failed to visit Tina at home in the days before she was admitted to Basildon Hospital.

- Tina should have been treated with intravenous antibiotics and intravenous fluids, but instead doctors gave her oral fluids and oral antibiotics, which she would not take.

- Her condition was not monitored as frequently as it should have been.

- Tina’s prospects of survival would have been “significantly” improved if she had been prevented from eating and drinking, if she had received immediate intravenous antibiotics and rehydration after admission, if advice had been sought from an intensive care doctor and consideration given to a transfer to a high dependency unit.

A Basildon Hospital spokeswoman said it could not comment until the report had been finalised and published in full.