The partner of a man who died after developing sepsis following a delay in diagnosing an abscess has spoken of his 'big personality' and the family's ‘devastating’ loss. Carl Wright, from Nottingham, died on October 29, 2021, at the age of 60 due to natural causes, though an inquest into his death found his chances of survival "would have improved" if the infection was found earlier.
Carl was admitted to Linden Lodge rehabilitation unit at Nottingham City Hospital in August 2021 following cardiac surgery. On October 14, 2021, blood test results suggested Carl potentially had an infection. However, no further action was taken, and around one week later, Carl began vomiting and complaining of pain.
His condition deteriorated and he was transferred to the emergency department at Queen’s Medical Centre three days later where he was reviewed and considered to be suffering from sepsis and septic shock. Carl failed to respond to antibiotics. A scan was arranged which identified an abdominal abscess, but Carl sadly passed away.
His partner Sharon, 57, had "concerns" over Carl's death which she has struggled to come to terms with. She added that the pair had planned travel in the future and to marry in New York.
Sharon said: “Carl was a kind-hearted and strong family man, and it’s almost impossible to find the words to express how much we all miss him. He had such a big personality and would have done anything for those he loved.
"He and I were planning to travel in the future and get married in New York. I’m devastated to know that will never happen now.
"He’s also never going to meet his new grandson, which is really upsetting for the whole family. While it’s been more than two years since we lost Carl, some days the pain feels as raw as it was back then.
"Trying to come to terms with it has been made all the more difficult by the many concerns we’ve had over his death. The inquest and having to hear what he went through was incredibly tough but I recognise that it was something we needed to do to honour his memory.
“I would give anything to have Carl back by my side, but I know that’s not possible. All we can hope for now is that his death wasn’t in vain and improvements are made in diagnosing and treating sepsis to help prevent others suffering like we have.”
A post-mortem examination found his cause of death to be an abscess in his abdomen and heart disease. Following his death, Sharon instructed specialist lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help establish answers and support the family through an inquest.
It comes after an inquest at Nottingham Coroner’s Court in September concluded Carl died of natural causes. However, Assistant Coroner for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Gordon Clow, concluded that there had been “sufficient information available for a suitably experienced doctor to ascertain” that Carl was ”suffering from an infection on or before 22 October 2021.”
He added that “this would have prompted investigations which would have identified the abscess earlier than 26 October” and “would have improved” Carl’s chances of survival.
The coroner also issued a Prevention of Future Deaths Report, raising concerns over the processes at Linden Lodge, which included the “majority” of medical care being carried out by “inexperienced junior doctors with no easy access to input from more experienced doctors.” In a subsequent written response, Nottingham University Hospitals Trust agreed a series of actions are to be implemented to address the matters of concern.
Namely, there will be access to input from more experienced doctors, and reviews of blood test results will be carried out in a timely manner. Tania Harrison, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Sharon, said after the hearing: “Carl’s loved ones are understandably struggling to come to terms with losing him so suddenly, particularly Sharon who has found the past two years incredibly difficult.
“Since then, the family have had a number of unanswered questions surrounding Carl’s death,
“While the inquest has been tough to relive everything that happened, we’re pleased to have at least been able to provide them with the answers they deserve."
Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) has apologised that the care for Mr Wright "fell below the normal standard".
John Walsh, Deputy Medical Director at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust, said: “We are very sorry that the care Mr Wright received fell below the normal standard we would expect for our patients, and offer our sincere condolences to his partner for her loss. We accept the coroner’s finding.
Our organisation sets itself high standards in terms of the care we deliver, and we are committed to learning and improving. We have introduced new procedures to ensure that all medical care provided in Linden Lodge is delivered by appropriately experienced doctors and supported by access to more experienced staff; this includes the care of the deteriorating patient and the timely review of blood test results.”
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