Waited an Hour for Admission

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 130, 18 June 1937, Page 6

Waited an Hour for Admission

SERIOUSLY-ILL BOY Parent's Complaint at Hospital Inquiry FATAL MENINGIT1S CASE The complaint that he had to wait an hour for the admission to hospital of his son, who was in a seriously-iU condition, was made this morning hy Mr Erederick Williaim Berry, of Puketapu, to the Royal Commission investigating the management and administration of the Napier Public HospitaL The boy died from meningitis on the day of admission. Regret at the delay was . expressed to the parents hy the medical superintendent. who said that the treatment was all that could have heen done for the hoy. Expert medical evidence was to the effect that, from the nature of his infection, the hoy was doomed when he was admitted to the hospital and that the hest possihle treatment was administered. Evidence was given by Sister Vida Genet, of the Napier Hospital, that on ihe morning in question she was handed ifc note of admission at about 8.30 a.m. by a man whom she identified as being the father of the boy. She handed the note to a nurse who was • busy attending a patient. On looking at the note she noted that the patient had been sent in by Dr. Cashmore and that the boy had a rash. Witness told the nurse to ring for the doctor, who would probably adtnit' the patient as soon as possible to isolation. Witness did not notice anything in the demeanour of the father to indicate that the boy required urgent attention. Witness was not on duty at the time but was arranging a room for Dr. Short. Nurse'* Evldtnoe. / Alma Margaret McLeod, nurse, «aid she remembered receiving the admission slip from the sister, who told her to ring the doctor, and in the.meantime to leave the boy'in the car, as his complaint was very infeetious. Witness rang for Dr. Valentine, a house surgeon, who was not available at the -moment. Witness told the porfcer to tell the doctor that a patient was waiting for him. AVitness went out to see the boy's father, askingj if the patient was a boy or girl and if he was comforfcable. There was no reason why he could not have been taken into a room at the outset. AVitness said that ehe acted on the sister's suggestion of leaving tho boy outside. The father at the time did not demur about the boy's waiting in the car. . To, Mr Foden, witness said that Dr. Valentine arrived at nine o'clock. The boy was then brought into the outpatients' department and the doctor ordered a lumbar puncture to be made. Witness then made the necessary preparation for it. To Mr Grant, witness said that if Mr Berry had told her that the case was urgent she would have admitted the patienfc immediately. Mr Berry took no steps to complain of any delay in the admission of his boy. The porter would ring the various wards until he located Dr. Vanentine. Mr Grant : Did Mr Berry complain to' you about the delay in admitting his son? AVitness: N.ot at all. To Miss G'ecilia McKenny, witness said that. she was not told that the case was urgent. She did not have in her mind occasioning discomfort to the boy by avoiding a double-shift in tase of his being ordered to isolation. Boy's Father Cives Vcrslon, Frederick William Berry, farmer, residihg at Puketapu, and father of the deceased • said that ' his boy attended school on April 27. In the ev ning he walked back to Puketapu to the pictures. When almost home he coniplained of a slight headache. After having supper he wenb to bed. Next morning witness, when in the milking-shed, was told that the boy was sick. His mother went in immediately to see what was wrong. She thought that he appeared to be in a copdition similar to that of two^ other of their children a few days previously. She kept him in bed all day and gave him lemon drinks. About three o'clock the following morning the boy sounded restless. His mother went in to see him, when he wanted a drink of water. Later she told witness that a doctor should see him. Witness immediately got up and drove to Fernhill, a distance of five miles, to ring Dr. Cashmore, who arrived shortly before half-past seven. The doctor said it was a case for the hospital and suggested that he- should be taken to the Napier Hospital in preference to the Memorial Hospital. The doctor said -that he was not altogether urgent, but told witnoss to get the boy into the hospial soon. Witness said he lost time in taking the boy into Napier. After han'din'g over the note, witness said, and after waiting for 15 minutes, ho asked why liis boy could- not be taken in. He could say that the full period of the delay in tnaking the admission was one hour. In. reply to the chairman, witness said that at 9 a.m. lie saw an honorary doctor, who said that he had no authority to admit the boy but that he would see what he could do. About ten minutes later Dr. Valentine came out, and witness then carried his 'boy in. Told Nuts 3 Eoy Was tu Patu, Witness explained that he went in and aslced why his boy could not be admitted. He told Nurse McLeod that th'e boy was in great pain and that ha was banging his head against the sids

o£ the car to get xelief. Eecalled, Nurse McLeod said that she' waa quite sure that Mr Berry did not say that the boy was in great painj he said that he was comfortable in the car, and further that he had been very sick at home. To Mr Foden the father, continuing, said he had no complaint after he had carried his boy in and laid him on the bed. Witness went out, and a little later he was informed by Dr. Valentine that the boy would have to be taken to isolation. Witness saw the boy taken there. He knew nothing of the treatment that was given. Continuing, witness said that in the afternoon he rang Dr. Foley, who said that the boy's condition was unchanged. Early next morning witness received word from the postmaster ai Puketapu informing him that his son had passed away during the night. Later witness received a note from Dr. Foley asking him to go and see him. Witness went in to see him, when Dr. Foley said that the delay should not have occurred but that, had the boy been admitted the previous day, he could not havo been saved. To Mf. Bate, who appeared for the Hospital Board, witness said that he did not place urgency on the case because of the note, but it was after waiting for 15 minutes that he" became concerned and asked the nurse the reason for the delay. There would be a period of ten niinutes between the time that he handed the note to the sister and the time he questioned the nurse. An Hour's Wait. Witness was confident that he arrived at the hospital at 8.15 a.m., and it was 9.15 a.m. when the boy was carried in. The boy was made as comfortable as possible in the car when witness was taking him to the hospital. Dr. Cashmore ordered the boy to the Napier Hospital to avoid double-shif ting him. Witness was in the room about two minutes after taking the boy in when he was told by the nurse that he had better get out. When carried in, the boy was practlcally exhausted by the pain that he had suffered while waiting in the car. ' He had no complaint to make regard- x ing Dr, Foley, who expressed regret at the delay. When Dr. Valentine came out he said he would get a porter to carry the boy in. Witness said that there had been enough delay and that lie would carry his boy in himself. Becalled, Nurse MeLeod said to Mr. Foden that Mr. Berry did not say that the boy was in pain. To Mr. Grant, witness said that she explained to Mr. Berry - that his boy might be taken straight into isolation without being taken- into the outpatients department. She was quite certain that she received the note of admission at 8.40, when she rang for a doctor. She rang again in ten minutes for him. &The Right Treatment. Dr. D. A. Valentine, house surgeon at the hospital, stated that on the morning in question he was down at nine o'clock, when he saw the boy. He remembered Mr. Berry making some complaint about having to wait. Mr. Berry was certainly worried over his boy. In the car th'e boy was not comfortable, and he should have been seen fairly soon. Once the boy had been taken into the out-patients department, witness immediately proceeded to obtain a history of the boy's condition. After examination a lumber puncture was made. Suspi?ions were entertained that the boy was suffering from meningitis. Witness outlined the treatment given by means of serum. To Mr. Grant, witness said that when he arrived Mr. Berry was standiiig at the door of the out-patients' department. In walking over to the car Mr. Borry might have fiiade some reference to having been waiting. Witness had no doubt when he first saw the boy that his trouble was meningitis. When ihe examination was being made Mr. Berry was asked if he would mind leaving the room. This was the usual request made to parents while an' examioation was being made. Dr. J. J. Foley, medical -superintendent, admitted that he had expressed regret to Mr. BOTry at the delay in admitting his boy. Witness first saw the boy lying in bed in the out-patients' department when he made a clinical examination which revealed that he was infeeted with meningitis. All feasible methods were adopted to cope with the boy's clisease, which had reached a very advanced stage. To Mr. Bate, witness said h# was confident that the proper treatment was ^prescribed. . No authority in the woria would question it. As the result of a complaint, witness made a point of seemg Mr. Berry personally and eent -him a note to that effect. Witness saw him the next day, when he stated that the right treatment had been given to his boy. Dr. Maaka detailed tbe treatment given to the boy, which he considered was all that could have been done to save the boy. The iather of the boy, who was recalled, explained that on checking-up l: had f,ound that his watch was slow and that the time the nurse said that she received the admission note was correct, He still maintained that he waited an hour before his boy was taken iu. Doria Browu said that she Uf't Napier on the 8.30 bus and that when ghe had aimosfc reached the inquiry ofiice Mr Berry arrived at fcli6 hospital. She had an appointment at the hospital and when ehe came out at about 9.40 a.m. she saw Mr Berry carrying his boy into the outpatients' department. To Mr Grant, witness said she was quite certain that slie saw Mr Berry carrying liis son in after she had con sulted Dr. Short and not before. Dr. James Roberts Boyd, of Wol lington, said that after hearing the evidence of the three medical wituesses he thought that it was eyiden't tliat the boy was infeeted with fulmiut;iug meningitis* and he was undoubtedly doomed when he v 's taken to the hospital. In his opinion the ti atnc-nt given was the proper one and nothing more could possibly have heen done for the boy. The chairman said tliat that w, u!d undoubtedly be sonte "onsclation for the afflieted parents. This concluded the hearing cf Mr Berry's complaint.