Man dies of heart attack due to medical negligence
A pensioner died after his files were mistakenly marked 'do not resuscitate' by the hospital.
The 86 year old man's doctors noted the entry in his files and allowed him to die.
The staff realised an hour after he died that the notes were 'erroneously' made and CPR was commenced - but it was too late.
Derby NHS Trust medical director apologised to the man's family for the gross medical negligence and said: "It was found that the cause of the mistake, for which we're very sorry, was the "Do Not Attempt Resuscitation" instruction on the nurses' hand-over sheet and that it should not have been there."
Experts say that even if staff had tried to resuscitate him immediately, his chances of surviving were 'very low'.
The Derby and South Derbyshire Coroner recorded a verdict that the pensioner died from natural causes.
Forty-five minutes to an hour later his true resuscitation status was discovered and resuscitation was commenced but he didn't respond.
The man's son said: "I think my dad was badly let down by the NHS."
He added that he hoped changes to hospital procedures would help other patients and deter professional negligence, adding, "it's too late in the day for my father".
It is unknown if the victim's family will file a compensation claim.Updated on 05/02/2010