Tracey South: Hospital trust apology over woman's death

Tracey South died at King's Mill Hospital in May 2022, aged 51

A hospital trust has apologised over failings in the care of a woman who died from kidney failure.

Tracey South, who lived with spina bifida and used a wheelchair, died at King's Mill Hospital in Nottinghamshire in May 2022.

An inquest into her death found the 51-year-old would have survived for longer had she received appropriate care.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS trust, which runs the hospital, issued an "unreserved apology" to her family.

Nottingham Coroner's Court heard Ms South, from Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, had originally been admitted to the hospital on 22 March 2022 with signs of an infection.

She had an acute kidney injury "at the most severe stage", but responded well to treatment and was discharged on 3 May.

Rotheras Solicitors, which represented Ms South's family, said at the time of her discharge, Ms South had not been seen or reviewed by a doctor for five days.

Ms South lived with spina bifida and spent her life in a wheelchair, lawyers representing her family said

A day later, her carers found she had fallen, and she was rushed back to hospital.

Coroner Laurinda Bower said there were "serious service delivery problems" with the care Ms South received on her readmission.

Her discharge summary did not reflect the severity of her injury, and so her admission was not treated as a medical emergency, she added.

Ms Bower said "without reason or rationale", renal input - a kidney treatment for people with acute injuries - was not sought until two days later, by which time Ms South was too unwell to be saved.

She died from renal failure at the hospital on 9 May.

Issuing a narrative conclusion on 19 April, the coroner said if not for a "failure" to provide Ms South with medical care in accordance with the trust's acute kidney injury pathway, she "would have survived for longer".

Ms South's sister, Sonia Nicholls, told the BBC she was determined to make sure a number of learning points found during the coroner's investigation were implemented.

"The hospital have cared for us - they've never been horrible to us or anything like that," she said.

"But I want to make sure they are doing what they meant to be doing and that the new procedures and policies have been put in place."

'Must learn lessons'

Dr David Selwyn, medical director for the trust, said it was "committed" to providing the best possible care to all patients.

"We have conducted our own internal investigation into this case and have fully supported the coroner's inquiry as two key parts of understanding the circumstances surrounding Tracey's death," he said.

"Those investigations highlighted a number of areas where we could have provided better care.

"We must learn the lessons from this case and, as a result of those investigations, we have already taken steps to address the concerns raised to ensure we are continuing to provide the best possible care to our patients in future."