King's Lynn Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust fined £60,000 for causing avoidable harm to Lucas Allard after Care Quality Commission prosecution
Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Trust has been handed a £60,000 fine after exposing a patient to avoidable harm before he died.
Representatives from the QEH Trust appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday) for sentencing following prosecution from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) over the death of 28-year-old Lucas Allard.
The Lynn man died in March 2019 with a ruptured aortic aneurysm as a result of Marfan Syndrome.
He had a complex medical history and was awaiting heart surgery when admitted to hospital on March 12, 2019 with chest pain.
He was given a CT scan, but he was later discharged after staff analysed the wrong results and determined him fit to go home.
An October 2020 inquest heard the wrong scan was copied and pasted into the computer system by Dr Masud Isham.
A review by a consultant two days later found the wrong report had been viewed, and the correct one highlighted significant abnormalities – leading to him being urgently summoned back to the QEH.
Shortly after his arrival, Mr Allard – a technological support worker for Currys – suffered a cardiac arrest. Although staff attempted resuscitation, the cardiac arrest caused his death.
The trust earlier pleaded guilty to mistakes which meant he did not receive safe care and treatment, exposing him to “avoidable harm”.
Guidelines state regulated health and social care providers have a legal duty to ensure their patients receive safe care and treatment, with risks to their health and wellbeing being appropriately managed.
The trust admitted it had not ensured safe care and treatment due to its lack of adequate processes and systems to ensure staff reviewed correct scans, and to ensure scans showing abnormalities were appropriately escalated.
This constituted breaches of regulations 12 and 22 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
Regulation 12 relates to healthcare providers’ responsibility to ensure people receive safe care and treatment. Regulation 22 made it a criminal offence to not comply with regulation 12.
In addition to the £60,000 fine imposed by magistrates, the trust was also ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge and £4,500 costs to the CQC.
Zoe Robinson, the CQC’s head of hospital inspection, said: “Lucas Allard had the right to expect safe care and treatment from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, so the trust’s failure to ensure its staff reviewed correct scan results is unacceptable.
“If the trust had identified and addressed the weakness of its system, it could have appropriately responded to Mr Allard’s condition and provided him with the urgent care he needed at the earliest opportunity.
“The vast majority of people receive good care when they attend hospital.”
“However, when a healthcare provider puts people in its care at risk of harm, we take action to hold it to account and protect people.
“I hope this prosecution reminds healthcare providers of their legal duty to always take all reasonable steps to ensure people’s safety.”