GEORGE NEWS - An internal investigation has been launched at George Provincial Hospital after allegations of gross negligence.
This follows the death of Lynn Dargan (73) who died after what her family believes to be gross negligence by the nursing staff in her ward.
Dargan passed away on 2 May after being admitted to ICU on Saturday evening, 23 April. According to her daughter, Cathy Steyn, her mother may still have been alive if she had received the proper care.
Admitted to ICU
"My mom was admitted with suspected colon sepsis and subsequent renal failure. She was treated in ICU and we were happy with her care and treatment in ICU," said Steyn. For this reason the family decided not to move her to another hospital.
On 27 April, Dargan was cleared by doctors to move to a general ward and it is Steyn's opinion that this is here where her nursing care deteriorated significantly.
"The nursing care of my mother in that ward was nothing short of disgusting. She was lapsing in and out of sleep/confusion and she was not really able to speak coherently, apart from short phrases when questioned. She did however understand when we spoke to her.
"On the Wednesday or Thursday afternoon, 27 or 28 April, during visiting hours, I explicitly heard the doctor on duty tell the nurses that my mother's catheter was leaking and that it needed to be attended to. He had tried to get her to sit up when he noticed that her back was wet.
"The following day he also gave instructions that she needed to be mobilised and put in a chair. About a day or two later we smelt a strong urine smell after lifting the sheet to try and help her move her legs.
"By that time nobody had attempted to mobilise her as instructed by the doctor. It was evident now that she had not been changed and she also had diarrhoea," Steyn said in a letter to George Herald.
A struggle for assistance
During a visit to her mother on Sunday 1 May, Steyn said, she noticed that her mother's top lip was a dark blue/purple colour and she immediately went to the nursing station for assistance from two nurses.
"One of the nurses responded to me after the other one just stared at me and ignored me flat - but this seemed to be the norm in that ward. The one who responded walked with me to my mom where she informed me that my mother had a bad rash and that she had taken some cream out of my mom's bag to put on her buttocks and back.
"This was a perfumed body cream - not suitable for anybody with a rash. My mom's buttocks and lower back were red. This was really disgusting as a rash from urine does not happen overnight. My mom must have been terribly uncomfortable as she could not move herself."
Steyn then enquired about her mother's oxygen levels and the nurse told her that they were happy with all her statistics. According to Steyn, the nurse could however not answer her why her mother's lip was blue.
She also complained about her mother's neck area that was extremely swollen, red and hot to the touch. This was the area where the catheter had been inserted.
"I asked whether she had infection from the catheter wound and I was told it was nothing to worry about. I don't need to be a doctor to know that this was abnormal. None of this was recorded in my mother's notes," said Steyn.
She stated that the lack of nursing care was very apparent and shocking. Dargan had complained of feeling anxious and it was evident that there was something wrong. The nurses however did not seem to notice or bring this to anybody's attention after Steyn raised her concerns.
Death without answers
Dargan passed away unexpectedly in the early hours of the following Monday morning after her blood pressure was allegedly recorded to be very low the previous evening. Upon enquiry by Steyn, she was told that doctors suspected a blood clot, of which there were signs on Sunday afternoon. Seemingly nothing was done about it.
"Until today I had not received any explanation as to what happened to my mom. Her blood pressure dropped, and apparently the nurses simply failed to call a doctor. No one can provide me with answers. I am really disgusted at the nursing care and attitudes of the nurses in that ward.
"Why bother to save somebody and brag about the wonderful doctors in George Hospital if the nursing care lets them down? I now must live with the fact that in hindsight my mother had horrible care and neglect in her last days. I am not looking for somebody to blame, I know my mom was very ill. We however thought she was turning around and would make it - so did the doctors," said Steyn.
Upon later inquiry Steyn was informed by the doctor that the most likely cause of death was a lung embolism - the symptoms of which she believes was what she witnessed on Sunday and which had been unattended to, despite her request.
Department of Health responds
On enquiry with the Western Cape Department of Health about the incident, district spokesperson Nadia Ferreira confirmed that an internal investigation is underway.
"We view this complaint in a very serious light and we are looking into the matter while actively engaging with Ms Steyn in this regard. Appropriate disciplinary measures and actions will be taken if found to be necessary. Our condolences to the family," she said.
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