Beverley Deplacido alleges Leeds St James’ Hospital failed to properly investigate her sister Paula Brown's fall before she died, and claims the cause of death was misrepresented on her death certificate.
A Leeds woman is accusing Leeds St James’ Hospital of negligence following the death of her sister. Beverley Deplacido, a retired nurse, claims her 59-year-old sister Paula Brown suffered a fall prior to her death on January 27th, but this incident was not reflected on her death certificate . Deplacido asserts she's been pressured to accept pneumonia as the cause of death , despite her concerns about the fall.
Paula, who lived in Osmondthorpe, had been admitted to the hospital for fluid buildup in her stomach. Doctors initially deemed her ready for discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU) on the preceding Friday. Due to mental health concerns, the family requested continued monitoring over the weekend. However, according to Deplacido, Paula was given a sedative injection to calm her, and subsequently fell hours before her death. The family received a death certificate listing pneumonia as the cause of death, omitting any mention of the fall. This omission has ignited Deplacido's anger, as she emphasizes that under Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulations, the hospital should have reported all incidents affecting health, safety, and welfare. Deplacido expressed her frustration that Paula's body wasn't sent to a coroner for examination before the hospital determined the cause of death. She stated, 'Paula fell after being given a sedative injection that is a high-risk fall medication given to relax patients or stop seizures. She got up and fell to the floor. My sister went into immediate cardiorespiratory failure and they said that they were concerned about her airway so were unable to intubate orally. Due to trauma chest or trachea from fall, the hospital suggested cause of death as pneumonia. She didn't have acute chest problem on admission. I have contacted the coroner who has requested a new inquest as we are not accepting the said cause of death but have been feeling rushed and constantly feeling harassed to accept the death certificate.' Deplacido lodged an official complaint disputing the cause of death with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). She's also in contact with the CQC and Leeds City Council's Adult Social Care unit to investigate the matter further. She described the situation as 'a catalogue of disaster, malpractice and not adhering to the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust’s policy and procedures.' Remembering her sister, Deplacido highlighted Paula's dedication to voluntary work, particularly with mental health disability charities and gay pride. She said, 'Paula was beautiful and humble. Her heart touched the community of Leeds. She was a bubbly person, funny and touched the hearts of everyone with her smile. A people's person. Everybody loved her.' Magnus Harrison, the trust’s Chief Medical Officer, responded to the allegations saying, 'We are deeply sorry for Ms Deplacido’s loss and recognise this must be a very difficult time for her and her family. We have worked with the family and the medical examiner, to review the circumstances of her sister’s death, in line with standard processes. Following concerns raised by Ms Deplacido, we are now working with the coroner to provide further information. We are sorry to hear of the concerns raised by Ms Deplacido; we take these extremely seriously and we are working hard to address them.”
Leeds St James' Hospital Death Certificate Cause Of Death Negligence Patient Complaint Fall Sedative Injection Pneumonia Coroner Care Quality Commission (CQC) Family Grievance
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