Family win five-figure sum after hospital’s patient-denture failure
NewsPosted by: manpreet.boora 5th January 2018
The family of a grandmother who died in hospital after staff failed to act upon her missing bottom denture have received a five-figure payout.
Lilian Hugill, who had previously survived cancer, was admitted to York Hospital with a bladder infection, but later died after staff wrongly gave her the sandwich rather than soft food.
According to The Telegraph, carers at the hospital had failed to realise that the 84-year-old was not wearing her bottom dentures meaning she was unable to chew her food properly.
Her son-in-law Mike Garbutt, 63, said: “How can someone be admitted to hospital with a basic urine infection and this happen?
“Lilian was let down at a time of life when people most need good healthcare.”
Following her death, Mr Garbutt, along with his wife and Lilian’s daughter Linda Garbutt, instructed Hudgell Solicitors to take action against York Hospital Trust.
Lawyers found medical staff failed to note she was not wearing her bottom set of dentures – despite being prompted to ask the question in the hospital paperwork.
It was proved that Mrs Hugill choked on the sandwich and suffered a heart attack and hypoxic brain injury, starvation of oxygen to the brain, which led to bronchopneumonia – an inflammation of the lungs.
To read the full story please click here
