The Oaks Medical Centre

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First report 5 Dec 2018•Latest report 5 Dec 2018

Reports, concerns and published responses

Reports over time

Reports naming this recipient by issue year.

* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.

Reports
1

Naming this recipient

Published responses
0%

Found for named reports

Concerns addressed
0

Across all linked responses

Stated actions
0

Described in responses

Concerns and recipient responses

Statements from The Oaks Medical Centre linked to the concerns in each report. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

  1. Black Country

    AI-generated summary

    Mrs Sylvia Mitchell · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Mrs Sylvia Mitchell, a 90-year-old woman, died at Good Hope Hospital on 23 May 2018 after developing urosepsis associated with a fistula caused by an impacted Gellhorn pessary. The report identified inadequate communication and failures to adequately monitor and review the pessary, with delays in its removal contributing to her death.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to The Oaks Medical Centre; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Inadequate communication of the risks of delayed pessary removal

    Wider context from the report

    “1. Evidence emerged during the inquest that there was inadequate communication between the Trust and GP advising Mrs Mitchell of the risks of not having the pessary removed urgently. 2. Specifically, the Pathologist gave evidence confirming that pessaries are typically used in the non-surgical management of severe pelvic organ prolapse, often in post-menopausal women with poorly oestrogenised, and easily traumatised vaginal mucosa. A pessary is a foreign object in constant contact with the vaginal epithelium, therefore, its use requires adequate follow-up to ensure proper fitting, routine cleansing and monitoring of the integrity of the vagina. Failure to observe these precautions heightens risk of infection, impaction/incarceration and ulceration, potentially with recto-vaginal and/or vesico-vaginal fistulation – the latter are very rare iatrogenic complications of pessary use with only approximately 8 cases reported in the world literature (Gordon GH et al. J Clin Gynecol Obstet. 2015; 4 (1): 193-196), almost exclusively, however, associated with Gellhorn and shelf pattern prostheses, usually in the age range of 70 to 80 years, often allegedly contributed to by lapse of regular maintenance & hygiene procedures. 3. Due to the delays in removal of the pessary she died as a result of developing a fistula and urosepsis. ”
    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to The Oaks Medical Centre; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Failure to provide routine pessary cleansing

    Wider context from the report

    “1. Evidence emerged during the inquest that there was inadequate communication between the Trust and GP advising Mrs Mitchell of the risks of not having the pessary removed urgently. 2. Specifically, the Pathologist gave evidence confirming that pessaries are typically used in the non-surgical management of severe pelvic organ prolapse, often in post-menopausal women with poorly oestrogenised, and easily traumatised vaginal mucosa. A pessary is a foreign object in constant contact with the vaginal epithelium, therefore, its use requires adequate follow-up to ensure proper fitting, routine cleansing and monitoring of the integrity of the vagina. Failure to observe these precautions heightens risk of infection, impaction/incarceration and ulceration, potentially with recto-vaginal and/or vesico-vaginal fistulation – the latter are very rare iatrogenic complications of pessary use with only approximately 8 cases reported in the world literature (Gordon GH et al. J Clin Gynecol Obstet. 2015; 4 (1): 193-196), almost exclusively, however, associated with Gellhorn and shelf pattern prostheses, usually in the age range of 70 to 80 years, often allegedly contributed to by lapse of regular maintenance & hygiene procedures. 3. Due to the delays in removal of the pessary she died as a result of developing a fistula and urosepsis. ”
    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to The Oaks Medical Centre; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Failure to ensure proper pessary fitting

    Wider context from the report

    “1. Evidence emerged during the inquest that there was inadequate communication between the Trust and GP advising Mrs Mitchell of the risks of not having the pessary removed urgently. 2. Specifically, the Pathologist gave evidence confirming that pessaries are typically used in the non-surgical management of severe pelvic organ prolapse, often in post-menopausal women with poorly oestrogenised, and easily traumatised vaginal mucosa. A pessary is a foreign object in constant contact with the vaginal epithelium, therefore, its use requires adequate follow-up to ensure proper fitting, routine cleansing and monitoring of the integrity of the vagina. Failure to observe these precautions heightens risk of infection, impaction/incarceration and ulceration, potentially with recto-vaginal and/or vesico-vaginal fistulation – the latter are very rare iatrogenic complications of pessary use with only approximately 8 cases reported in the world literature (Gordon GH et al. J Clin Gynecol Obstet. 2015; 4 (1): 193-196), almost exclusively, however, associated with Gellhorn and shelf pattern prostheses, usually in the age range of 70 to 80 years, often allegedly contributed to by lapse of regular maintenance & hygiene procedures. 3. Due to the delays in removal of the pessary she died as a result of developing a fistula and urosepsis. ”
    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to The Oaks Medical Centre; that does not assign responsibility.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Failure to monitor vaginal integrity during pessary use

    Wider context from the report

    “1. Evidence emerged during the inquest that there was inadequate communication between the Trust and GP advising Mrs Mitchell of the risks of not having the pessary removed urgently. 2. Specifically, the Pathologist gave evidence confirming that pessaries are typically used in the non-surgical management of severe pelvic organ prolapse, often in post-menopausal women with poorly oestrogenised, and easily traumatised vaginal mucosa. A pessary is a foreign object in constant contact with the vaginal epithelium, therefore, its use requires adequate follow-up to ensure proper fitting, routine cleansing and monitoring of the integrity of the vagina. Failure to observe these precautions heightens risk of infection, impaction/incarceration and ulceration, potentially with recto-vaginal and/or vesico-vaginal fistulation – the latter are very rare iatrogenic complications of pessary use with only approximately 8 cases reported in the world literature (Gordon GH et al. J Clin Gynecol Obstet. 2015; 4 (1): 193-196), almost exclusively, however, associated with Gellhorn and shelf pattern prostheses, usually in the age range of 70 to 80 years, often allegedly contributed to by lapse of regular maintenance & hygiene procedures. 3. Due to the delays in removal of the pessary she died as a result of developing a fistula and urosepsis. ”
    Open source report
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Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026