Bereaved parents in action against NHS trust after 'series of failures' at Bradford hospital

Parents launch legal action

Steve and Anne Garner believe their 18-year-old daughter, Laura, died as a result of "a series of failures" in her care at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

The devastated parents have instructed solicitor Daniel Hilton to pursue an action against Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Hilton, of Beaumont Legal Solicitors, said: "Laura's tragic death occurred after a catalogue of failures in respect of her care following her admission to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

"The hospital's own report shows that they failed in the key areas of diagnosis, investigation and treatment." He said a serious incident report prepared by the hospital following Miss Garner's death concluded that "there were deficiencies in the basic medical processes of differential diagnosis, investigation and treatment".

Mr Hilton said the report also highlighted "deficiencies in the basic nursing processes of assessing the physical and psychological concerns of a patient, and of taking and recording physiological observations".

It also said Miss Garner was never given the antibiotics which she was identified as requiring when she was admitted to the hospital.

A few days before Miss Garner was admitted to hospital the young hairdresser had fallen and suffered what she thought was a minor injury to her back.

She suffered lower abdominal pain for several days, which became severe on the evening of Tuesday September 22 last year.

Miss Garner attended Bradford Royal Infirmary in a "very distressed" state.

The teenager was admitted to the hospital and her mother asked if she could stay with her overnight but her request was refused, it has been alleged.

The following day Miss Garner remained in "significant discomfort" throughout the day before undergoing a laparoscopy in the mid-afternoon.

The procedure failed to provide any diagnosis for her condition, it is alleged.

Her parents remained with her until after 8pm.

At about 11pm Miss Garner's condition deteriorated further and attempts at resuscitating her were unsuccessful.

Shortly after midnight on Thursday September 24, Miss Garner's mother telephoned the hospital having missed a call and was told that her daughter had died, said Mr Hilton.

Mrs Garner paid tribute to her daughter, whom she said had hoped to own a hair salon.

"Laura was a beautiful, cheeky, loving daughter who lived her short life to the max," said Mrs Garner.

"However, she always had time for a hug and a chat with us before heading out to meet friends. Laura made time for her family, friends and work colleagues and ensured she spent lots of time with her niece, Isabelle, who she adored.

"Laura loved working at the hair salon and her dream was to own it one day in the future. We have many happy memories of Laura growing up and it has been a privilege watching her become the great individual she was." Mrs Garner said that the family will never be complete again.

"It is tragic that her life has been snatched so needlessly and we will miss her more than we can ever say, our family will never be complete again. We will always love her and hope that one day we will be together again," she said.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust insisted that the necessary actions, which came out of the report, are being taken.

A spokesman for the trust said: "Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust would like to pass on its sincere condolences to Laura's family.

"After Laura's death, the Foundation Trust took immediate action to investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragic loss of life and an internal investigation was carried out, the results of which we shared with Laura's family." The trust apologised to the family and assured them that the necessary actions were being taken.