Investigation and inquest
On 8 October 2020 I commenced an investigation into the death of Macaulay Wilson, aged 87 years. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest earlier today.
I recorded a medical cause of death of:
1a urosepsis
1b long term indwelling catheter not changed since October 2019
2 Alzheimer’s dementia, cerebrovascular accident,
chronic kidney disease, bladder cancer and prostate cancer
I made a determination at inquest that Mr Wilson died because a failure to change his indwelling catheter for almost a year caused urosepsis. The catheter should have been changed every 12 weeks.
Circumstances of the death
Mr Wilson had an indwelling urinary catheter fitted to assist in the management of his bladder cancer.
The Homerton University Hospital urology department failed to risk assess his catheter change requirement and so did not recognise that this was too complex medically for district nurses in the community and should be dealt with by the department.
Then it cancelled an appointment (because of the COVID19 pandemic) made for 27 April 2020 following a GP referral, and failed to make a plan to bring Mr Wilson back.
And finally, his general practitioner having referred him a second time on 31 July 2020, the HUH urology department failed to make another appointment.
Meanwhile, the Homerton University Hospital district nurses visited Mr Wilson every week for catheter care, but never enquired as to whether there had been any catheter change.
Coroner’s concerns
(I should say that I heard at inquest that Homerton University Hospital has formulated an action plan to minimise the risk of recurrence.)
The Homerton University Hospital urology clinical nurse specialist wrote to your practice on 18 February 2019, and included within the letter a request that you arrange for district nurses to change Mr Wilson’s indwelling catheter in 12 weeks.
A doctor from your practice did consider the letter, did action it and did write to the district nurses, but did not include a specific request for catheter change (as opposed to catheter care, which does not include change of the catheter).
It seems that your doctors’ use of language in this situation would benefit from further consideration.