01 August 2023 , 11:01
1107
0
A dad tragically died after a family holiday to Cyprus where he drank bottled water, which lead to him catching a stomach bug.
Colin Greenway, 63, was on a trip to Peyia, Cyprus, with his wife Sue, 62, their children, Ellen, 33, and Matthew, 26, and Sue’s mum Ann, 83. The dad had enjoyed a dream trip to the idyllic holiday hotspot before he returned to his home in Swaffham, Norfolk, while the others stayed out longer.
The football referee had been feeling unwell, so headed to his doctors and was soon admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn. Here, it was discovered he had an infection called campylobacter - a bug associated with eating undercooked meat and seafood, or drinking untreated water.
However, a junior doctor mistakenly prescribed him only half the usual dosage of medication used to reduce the risk of developing blood clots. So, Colin was sent home when his blood test results improved, but later died of pulmonary embolism four days later on October 29, last year, when his daughter found his body.
Sue, Colin, Matthew and Ellen - the family had been in Cyprus on holiday when he caught the bug from some untreated water (Sue Greenway / SWNS)Over the course of his hospital stay, his prescription was not checked by a senior clinician, consultant or pharmacist. It was only when Sue, a retired medical practitioner, questioned whether he had been correctly dosed that the mistake was discovered.
Mum's heartbreak as 'best pal' daughter dies days after 'boozy birthday lunch'
Sue said: "It was an absolute shambles but my biggest concern around it is that had I not been a medical professional none of this would have come to light. My kids rang me and said ‘I have got terrible news – I found dad dead in bed’. I absolutely screamed. I went into complete shock. My whole world ended when he died."
Sue had been ill herself with the bug and had just lost her dad, Gordon, 88, to natural causes in April 2022. Colin had flown back to the UK and stayed with his daughter Ellen after his hospital stay after assuring Sue she didn’t need to come back herself to look after him.
The dad was tragically found dead by one of his own children (Sue Greenway / SWNS)She is devastated she didn’t get to say goodbye to her husband of 38 years. Sue said: “I never got to say goodbye. It’s heart breaking. He was so quick witted. He was very easy going. He lived for football."
Sue decided to go to the coroner after alarm bells rang after receiving the pathologist report. Following an inquest into Colin’s death, a coroner warned further people could die if the hospital did not improve its approaches.
In a report to prevent future deaths, area coroner Yvonne Blake wrote: "It is the consultant doctor's responsibility to check what their junior, unsupervised doctors do at the weekend when a patient is admitted. This consultant did not ever speak to this junior doctor about the misprescribing or know what action - if any - had been taken about it. I was informed by a senior nurse that other such drug errors have occurred since Mr Greenway died."
The prescription error that affected Colin isn't the only one that has happened at the hospital (Sue Greenway / SWNS)Yvonne said she was concerned that Colin received "no continuity of care" after being seen by three separate consultants over three days. She added: "While the consultants, three saw Mr Greenway, continue to refuse to accept responsibility for doctors prescribing, this situation continues."
She concluded the junior doctor had made an incorrect prescription, despite having clear guidelines. She was concerned the consultants had considered it the job of pharmacists to check for errors while only providing service three days a week and were not "accepting responsibility" to monitor junior doctors' prescriptions.
Govindan Raghuraman, acting medical director at the QEH, said: "On behalf of the Trust, I reiterate our sincere condolences to Mr Greenway's family. We have reviewed Mr Greenway's care in great detail and have carried out an internal investigation.
"The trust is developing an individualised action plan as a result of Mr Greenway's inquest. Specific actions are being developed to address the coroner's concerns. We will formally update the coroner on the progress as soon as actions are finalised, who will, in turn, update Mr Greenway's family." Sue has now moved in her mum Ann to live with her and said they are "widows together".