Widow wants criminal charges for hospital

An elderly widow will pursue criminal charges after her husband’s sudden death in Stafford Hospital forced her to move out of her home and into a smaller flat.

Gillian Peacham, 73, could not keep up with the bills following the death of husband Arthur on March 19, 2006. The 68-year-old was admitted to hospital four months previously with back pain but subsequently contracted the infection C Difficile and died at the controversial centre.

Mrs Peacham, from Penkridge in Staffordshire claims the CEO in charge of the hospital at the time was not qualified enough. “I’m sceptical really, because I just think that it’s perhaps too late really for anybody to be accountable. It happened and what we need now is an assurance that it won’t happen again,” she Mrs Peacham. The 73-year-old said hospital staff informed her that her husband had contracted C Difficile but they insisted it was not contagious.

Her son looked into the condition online and found that information to be incorrect. “I just don’t know what we’ll do, because we’ve been hanging on waiting for the inquiry to finish and the report to be published, and I just hope that they’ve got it right and blame is where it should be, and this will never happen again,” added Mrs Peacham.

IBB’s Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence lawyers comment:

“A public inquiry into the treatment of patients at Stafford Hospital was conducted in 2009 and 2010. The inquiry looked into hundreds of deaths which occurred in the hospital between 2005 and 2008. The findings of the inquiry were shocking. Robert Francis QC, who conducted the Inquiry found that some units failed to provide even basic standards of care to its patients. This led to “appalling and unnecessary suffering” of the patients, many of which resulted in death. As a result of the findings, Mr Francis QC was of the view that NHS staff members should face prosecution if they hid information about poor care and clearly the relatives of the patients who suffered at the hands of this poor treatment would concur with this view. Therefore, it is completely understandable that Mrs Peacham, together with the other relatives of these patients, would wish to call for criminal sanctions, including duty of candour, following the clear failings in procedure by Staffordshire Hospital. Indeed, she may then also wish to seek civil action for the failure in standards of care.”

IBB Solicitors has built a reputation for quality of service in pursuing compensation in cases involving accident, illness or death, including clinical negligence. If you would like advice on personal injury issues, you can contact a member of IBB’s Personal Injury team, call us on 08456 381 381 or email PI@ibblaw.co.uk.