Oundle man calls for action after nurse wife dies from sepsis at Peterborough hospital

A husband is calling for lessons to be learned after his wife died as a result of a perforated bowel diagnosed nine hours after she was admitted to hospital.

Jane Mason was admitted to Peterborough City Hospital on 21 March, 2021, complaining of severe abdominal pain and struggling to pass urine. She was assessed and deemed to be at low risk of having sepsis despite showing two red flag symptoms for the condition which sees the body attack itself in response to an infection.

Medics initially suspected the mum-of-four and grandmother-of-six had a water infection and inflamed pancreas.

Just over four hours after her admission, Jane, a retired nursery nurse, of Oundle, near Peterborough, was reviewed by a consultant who believed she may have constipation and ordered a bladder scan.

However, there was then a four-hour delay in informing the consultant of the bladder scan result which showed Jane had a perforated bowel, an NHS investigation report found.

Emergency surgery was required to repair her bowel. However, Jane, who had developed sepsis, continued to deteriorate. She died aged 73 the following day.

“If by raising awareness about the dangers of sepsis I can save someone else or another family from going through this then that would be some comfort.”

Jane’s husband of 46 years, Andrew (74), a former agricultural salesman, said: “Jane was a wonderful woman; she was calm, kind and caring. We had a very happy marriage and were looking forward to spending the rest of our retirement together.

“Jane was very fit for her age; we were always walking and eating healthily. We kept ourselves active by going on walks every day, no matter what the weather, and looking after our grandchildren.

“When Jane started complaining of being sick, in pain and being shivery I knew something was wrong as she never complained or exaggerated things.

“Twice during the time she was in hospital I was told by doctors that she was fit for her age. To this day we as a family all struggle to understand how Jane seemingly deteriorated so drastically.

“A few days earlier we had been out walking together and I couldn’t comprehend that she had suddenly gone.

“Jane was my best friend and life without her will never the be the same for any of us. There’s not a day goes by where we don’t think about her.

“I know the surgical and intensive care teams did everything they could for Jane and I can’t thank them enough. However, it remains difficult to accept the treatment Jane received in the A&E department where she was left for hours in pain with her condition deteriorating.

“Our family have been through a tremendous amount of pain over the last two-and-a half years. It remains difficult not to think Jane’s death shouldn’t have happened and how she should still be with us.

“If by raising awareness about the dangers of sepsis I can save someone else or another family from going through this then that would be some comfort.”

"Early detection and treatment are key to beating sepsis.”

Following Jane’s death Andrew instructed specialist medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his wife’s care under North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Peterborough City Hospital.

He has now joined his legal team in calling for lessons to be learned and warning of the dangers of sepsis.

It comes after the Hospital Trust admitted liability for Jane’s death days ahead of an inquest. The Trust admitted delays in diagnosing Janes perforated bowel and sepsis on 21 March, 2021. It accepted that this contributed to her death.

An inquest has concluded that “delays in diagnosing and treating sepsis and a bowel perforation probably contributed more than minimally to her death”.

Amie Minns, the expert medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, said after the hearing: “Sepsis is an incredibly dangerous condition which can have devastating consequences. We join Andrew in urging everyone to be aware of the signs of sepsis. Early detection and treatment are key to beating it.”

The Record of Inquest outlined that, despite several ‘red flags’ for possible infection, Jane was recorded at ‘low risk’ of sepsis and no specific treatment was initiated. The bladder scan was not analysed until several hours later, meaning that alternative causes for Jane’s condition were not considered.

Signs of sepsis include slurred speech, confusion, extreme shivering and muscle pain, passing no urine in a day, severe breathlessness and mottled or discoloured skin.

‘Trust accepts there was a delay in making correct diagnosis’

Dr Callum Gardner, Chief Medical Officer at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Peterborough City, Hinchingbrooke and Stamford and Rutland Hospitals, said: “I would like to once again apologise to Mr Mason and the rest of the family on behalf of the Trust for the delay in diagnosing Mrs Mason’s condition upon her admission to hospital. We send our sincerest sympathies to Mr Mason and his family.

"The Trust investigated the care that was provided to Mrs Mason following her admission and accepts that there was a delay in making the correct diagnosis. A number of recommendations from the report have been implemented and at a recent inquest the Coroner was reassured by the actions taken."

For more information about Sepsis, including symptoms and what to do, visit https://sepsistrust.org/