Hospital apology for errors leading to green expert's death

Prof Lowe, who set up Newcastle University's Centre for Rural Economy (CRE), had an academic career spanning more than 40 years

A hospital has apologised after misdiagnosing the seriousness of a bowel condition which led to the death of a pioneer of the green movement.

Rural expert Professor Philip Lowe, 69, died in February 2020 after getting the wrong operation to treat a twisted bowel.

An inquest in Morpeth heard he was transferred between two hospitals before he died.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said it was "truly sorry".

Prof Lowe was first treated in the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital (NSECH) in Cramlington and then transferred to North Tyneside General to recover, before being sent back to NSECH, where he died.

Northumberland Coroner Andrew Hetherington concluded the father-of-two "died due to a perforated sigmoid colon to which the mistaken diagnosis and missed opportunity for an earlier procedure directly contributed".

Green movement expert

Prof Lowe, who set up Newcastle University's Centre for Rural Economy (CRE), had an academic career spanning more than 40 years.

Born in Hull, he studied natural sciences at Oxford University and in the early-1970s he became an expert on the burgeoning green movement.

Prof Lowe was treated in the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital (NSECH) in Cramlington and then transferred to North Tyneside Hospital, before being sent back to NSECH, where he died

He was admitted to NSECH with abdominal pain on 13 February 2020.

A scan suggested a large bowel obstruction and he underwent a more in-depth examination the next day.

However, he was wrongly diagnosed as having a "pseudo obstruction" rather than a more serious one which had an increased likelihood of perforation.

Prof Lowe was transferred to North Tyneside afterwards but was readmitted to NSECH on 16 February for another procedure.

He died on 17 February with his wife Veronica at his bedside.

'Truly sorry'

The coroner concluded that if he had been given the correct procedure on 16 February 2020 the death "could probably have been prevented".

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement: "Our sincere condolences and thoughts go out to Professor Philip Lowe's family and all those who knew him and we are truly sorry for his death.

"Professor Lowe's death was due to misdiagnosis and we accept that."

The statement added: "The care that we provided Professor Lowe fell below the consistently high standard of care that we normally offer our patients."

Prof Lowe, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2010, had been married for 48 years and was a grandfather of two.

After the inquest, his daughter, Sylvia Ninkovic, said: "We believe that if our dad had not been transferred between Cramlington and North Tyneside hospitals then he would have received better care.

"The deterioration in his condition would have been clear to medical staff and the re-twisted bowel would have been spotted and treated.

"It's devastating to think that our clever, caring dad and grandpa could still be with us today if it had not been for the miscommunication and confusion."