Great-grandmother, 100, died of dehydration in hospital 'because her water jug broke' and staff took 10 days to put her on a drip
- - Lydia Spilner was admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary in January 2012
- - She had a treatable chest infection but her condition rapidly deteriorated
- - Her daughter, Nora, says she was left without access to any water
- - Was so dehydrated her skin cracked but took 10 days to be put on a drip
- - She died of kidney failure caused by the dehydration four weeks later
By JENNY HOPE and EMMA INNES
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Lydia Spilner, 100, was admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary in January 2012 after she developed a chest infection
A woman aged 100 died of dehydration on a hospital ward after being taken off her drip.
A ‘catastrophic error’ caused the death of great-grandmother Lydia Spilner despite frantic efforts by her family to get her treated.
Her daughter Nora Spilner complained to nurses regularly during her mother’s four-week stay at Leicester Royal Infirmary.
But she was unable to get her mother put back on a drip for ten days, even though her condition was clearly deteriorating.
University Hospitals of Leicestershire NHS Trust has now admitted that Mrs Spilner died due to renal failure caused by dehydration and paid her family an undisclosed out-of-court settlement.
During Mrs Spilner’s stay in hospital her daughter noticed there was no water jug next to her mother’s bed – and was told it had broken and there were no spares.
On several occasions she found her mother lying in urine-soaked sheets, and with her hair caked in porridge.
‘The nurse was laughing as she told me my mother had fallen asleep in her breakfast,’ Mrs Spilner’s daughter said.
She said her ‘fiercely independent’ mother, a widow since 1970, was admitted to hospital in January last year with a suspected chest infection and dehydration caused by medication prescribed by GPs.
Her daughter, Nora (pictured by Mrs Spilner's grave with her grand-daughter, Amy), says that her mother was left without water and that it took ten days for her to be hooked up to an IV drip despite the fact she was severely dehydrated
‘The A&E doctors explained that her confused speech was a clear sign she had become dehydrated,’ said Nora Spilner, of Tilton on the Hill, Leicestershire. ‘They put her on a drip and within two hours she was back to her normal self.
‘I wish I had taken her back home then, because I firmly believe I could have taken better care of her and she would still be alive today.
'Instead I put my trust in the hospital and allowed her to be moved to an elderly care ward, thinking she would be in good hands and they would be able to sort out her chest infection.’
Mrs Spilner was transferred to ward 31 of Leicester Royal Infirmary, where her daughter soon became alarmed.
Nora also claims that Mrs Spilner (pictured celebrating her 100th birthday) was left lying in urine-soaked sheets and that nurses thought it was funny that her hair was caked in food
Nora also says that she was forced to alert nurses after finding her mother had slipped and fallen under her hospital bed and that on a number of occasions she found Mrs Spilner very hungry
She said: ‘My mum’s skin was becoming dry and cracked and it was clear to me she was very dehydrated. I pleaded with the doctors to put her back on a drip but it took ten days for them to take action.
'The nurse was laughing as she told me my mother had fallen asleep in her breakfast'
Nora Spilner
‘Even then the drip didn’t work properly. They first tried to administer it through her leg, which swelled up like a balloon, and later they tried her hand and arm but the drip either stopped working properly or made her arm swell.’
The great-grandmother – who had celebrated her 100th birthday on September 22, 2011 – died on February 22, 2012.
Cause of death was confirmed as renal failure, combined with poor blood flow to her lower limbs.
‘Her condition was allowed to deteriorate with very little thought for her dignity,’ said her daughter. ‘The way she was looked after was appalling. The nurses didn’t show her an ounce of compassion.’
The hospital has admitted that basic care failures led to Mrs Spilner's death. Nora claims that her mother was subjected to a catalogue of failures in basic care
Mrs Spilner died at the Leicester Royal Infirmary in February 2012 after suffering kidney failure as a result of dehydration. The hospital has accepted that its failures contributed to her death
Sue Mason, divisional head of nursing at Leicester Hospitals, said: ‘It’s clear that our failure to give Mrs Spilner intravenous fluids was a catastrophic error for which we have apologised.
'We know that saying sorry won’t bring her back but we at least want her family to know that we will not avoid our responsibility, we are truly sorry'
Sue Mason, Leicester Hospitals
'We know that saying sorry won’t bring her back but we at least want her family to know that we will not avoid our responsibility, we are truly sorry.
‘As regards the equally important issue of the compassion shown to Mrs Spilner, since this happened in 2012, we have changed the nurse leadership on this ward, increased staffing levels and introduced hourly ward rounds.’
Robert Rose, a medical lawyer with Lime Solicitors who represented the family, said Mrs Spilner’s case was one of several they have dealt with involving basic failings in elderly care at the same hospital.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2336258/Great-grandmother-100-died-dehydration-hospital-water-jug-broke-staff-took-10-days-drip.html#ixzz2VYtDuBOR
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