Iain Wordsworth
In January 2005 I contracted MSSA and was hospitalised with septic arthritis and endocarditis, an acute, life-threatening infection of my prosthetic heart valve. I was treated with six weeks of intravenous antibiotics, including the drug gentamicin. A side-effect of this was constant nausea and dizzyness, and at my discharge I could not walk without falling over. Assured at the time that these symptoms would wear off, I could not have known that they were to be a permanent feature of my life from then on.
Gentamicin irreversibly destroys the vestibular function of the inner ear that affects the balance and strict protocols are set out governing its use. In my case these were apparently forgotten or ignored - I don't know which is worse - and I was given high dosages of the drug for more than double the two-week maximum period allowed.
The result for me has been a complete loss of my independence and of my career. I need physical support when walking; I constantly feel nauseous; I have concentration problems; my vision wobbles as if I am seeing the world through a jerky home video; and falling over is just something I live with.
The NHS Trust concerned refused to accept there was anything seriously wrong. As a consequence rehabilitation treatment was delayed by almost two years, leaving me at a critical time without specialist medical support to help me manage my condition. The denial was absolute, even at the cost to me of additional unnecessary suffering and distress. Only after three years of diligent work by an experienced solicitor has there finally been an admission of liability but even now there still has been no explanation why drug protocols were not followed or what has been done to prevent similar errors in the future.
Dealing with the anger and frustration of the denial has been as difficult as coming to terms with the consequences to myself and to my family of the original mistake. The defensive and dismissive 'corporate' response (more important, it seems, than the best interests of the patient) actually distorts the inherent caring values of the NHS. It is not what I believe most health care professionals would wish to be associated with.
My ongoing experiences have made me aware of the need for an overriding acceptance by NHS clinicians, management and the Legal Authority that denial is not a responsible or reasoned way to react to medical errors. For the benefit of the patient concerned and to safeguard future patients, there must be a more compassionate, sincere, open, and constructive way to deal with mistakes, irrespective of their cause or avoidability.
I am very pleased to be part of a team dedicated to bringing this about.