A grandmother who was in hospital with a broken arm died from an infection after a doctor performed an “unnecessary medical procedure.”
Susan Pollitt, 77, was admitted to the Royal Oldham Hospital in Greater Manchester in July last year.
Five days later, she died after a procedure to remove excess fluid from her abdomen was botched by a physician associate (PA) – doctors with only two years of training.
The tragedy comes as criticism mounts over the NHS’s reliance on PAs – healthcare workers who do not have a medical degree but are hired to support doctors.
PAs are not qualified to diagnose patients, prescribe medications or order scans, and are meant to be under constant supervision of a doctor. Yet hospitals are increasingly using PAs to fill a shortage of doctors in departments ranging from gynaecology to A&E.
Susan Pollitt, 77, (pictured) was admitted to the Royal Oldham Hospital in Greater Manchester in July last year
The tragedy comes as criticism grows over the NHS’s reliance on PAs – healthcare workers who do not hold a medical degree but are hired to support doctors. Pictured: File photo of The Royal Oldham Hospital
A group of leading doctors are now taking the General Medical Council (GMC), the regulator for doctors, to court over the council’s failure to set clear rules about what medical tasks PAs can perform.
Lawyers representing the group, which calls itself Anaesthetists United, wrote a letter to the GMC last week accusing the group of “acting unlawfully” by failing to set strict rules governing the role of PAs and nurse anaesthetists (AAs) – PAs who help patients with sedation before surgery.
The group claims that AAs are allowed to put patients to sleep without a doctor present. They also claim that in some hospitals, AAs are sedating children without a doctor’s supervision.
“The problem is not that staff work in hospitals, it’s that what they do is completely undefined,” said anaesthetist Dr Richard Marks, who leads the group.
“Our lawsuit is about setting limits on their responsibilities, and establishing what consent patients must give and what level of oversight is required.”
The NHS, which already has around 3,500 PAs, plans to hire around 10,000 PAs by 2038, freeing up doctors and nurses.
The Mail on Sunday has been raising the alarm over the past year as part of our Rein In The Physician Associates campaign. An investigation by the newspaper this year revealed dozens of cases where PAs had been allowed to cover doctors’ shifts and care for seriously ill patients.
In response, the government promised to end the practice and ensure patients are “cared for by appropriately qualified healthcare professionals”.
Mrs Pollitt’s daughter Kate said the family had been left ‘devastated’, adding: ‘Something has to change.’ Pictured: Susan with her husband Roy
Mrs Pollitt’s death was the result of ‘an unnecessary medical procedure’ and was caused by negligence, senior coroner Joanne Kearsley concluded after an inquest at Rochdale Coroner’s Court (file photo)
Experts say the death of grandmother-of-seven Mrs Pollitt is evidence that strict rules need to be introduced to prevent PAs carrying out tasks they are not qualified to do.
Her death was the result of “an unnecessary medical procedure” and was caused by neglect, chief coroner Joanne Kearsley concluded last week after an inquest at Rochdale Crown Court.
When Mrs Pollitt arrived at the hospital, it was decided to remove excess fluid from her abdomen – a procedure called ascitic drainage – due to another health condition.
This procedure involves cutting open the abdomen, inserting a plastic tube and stitching a cuff around the skin around it.
In Ms Pollitt’s case, the task was carried out by an anonymous PA, despite ‘no adequate procedure in place to ensure that PAs were competent and able to carry out this task’, Ms Kearsley said.
Ascitic drains should not be left in for more than six hours – Mrs Pollitt’s was in for almost a day. She developed an infection called bacterial peritonitis and died five days later.
“If the drain had not been placed after 21 hours, she probably would not have died,” Kearsley said.
She later added: ‘There is no national framework for how physician associates should be trained, supervised and deemed competent. This puts patients, physician associates and their employers at risk.’
Mrs Pollitt’s daughter Kate said the family was “devastated”, adding: “Something has to change.”
The GMC said: ‘We have been informed by lawyers for Anaesthetists United of their intention to launch an investigation. We are considering their claims and will respond in due course.’