UPDATED: A Newport man’s life has been changed forever after being sent home from St Mary’s Hospital without a vital scan, meaning a severe spinal condition went undiagnosed resulting in permanent damage.
Steven Chiverton, 39, has said lessons must be learned by doctors to prevent other lives being ruined. It follows the blunder which has left him unable to work, unable to help care for his 5-year-old daughter and has resulted in severe depression.
Steven required emergency surgery due to a prolapsed disc that was destroying the nerves in the base of his spine and causing the condition cauda equina syndrome. However, the operation was delayed by several days after doctors at St Mary’s Hospital decided his case was not urgent after he attended A&E in agony and that he did not require an MRI scan. Steven was wrongly discharged but was taken back to hospital by ambulance 3 days later as he had lost feeling in his legs and was numb from the waist down.
The married father underwent an urgent MRI and was transferred by air ambulance to Southampton General Hospital for surgery, but by now permanent damage had been caused. Steven has been left with permanent severe back pain, bowel and bladder dysfunction, numbness in his groin, saddle area, thighs and calves, foot drop on both sides and muscle spasms. He has to use crutches to move around his house and a wheelchair for longer distances outside and his family life has been turned upside down.
Eddie Jones, a specialist cauda equina syndrome solicitor and head of medical negligence at law firm JMW has been helping challenge the ‘appalling errors’ that were made by the hospital. After 2 years of fighting Steven’s case, in April 2016 the hospital trust admitted that if Steven had been given an MRI scan on 11th May 2014 his condition would have been diagnosed and the permanent damage to his spine would have been prevented.
Mr Jones is now negotiating a compensation settlement with the Isle of Wight NHS Trust to cover the cost of coping with Steven’s injuries, which will include a specially adapted house and mobility aids. Mr Jones commented:
“This is a very tragic case as Steven is only 39 and his life has been completely devastated. He has found himself permanently disabled, depressed and in need of help with basic household tasks – all of which was avoidable if action had been taken by doctors just three days earlier.
“Steven had by seen by his GP and the hospital several times with warning signs of cauda equina syndrome before attending A&E in agony. Two doctors discussed his symptoms yet did not recognise the seriousness of the situation. They decided he should be sent home without an MRI scan, which would have enabled them to diagnose cauda equina syndrome and perform urgent surgery. It was a catastrophic error and Steven and his family will have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives.”
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Steven commented:
“This wasn’t just normal back pain; I knew something was badly wrong and was in tears when the A&E doctors said I was being sent home. I had been trying to get help for days and I now know that if those doctors had treated me appropriately that day that all this misery we are now facing could have been avoided and I would now be leading a normal life. That’s extremely difficult to come to terms and as Abi also has fibromyalgia, a long term condition; she is now my carer when it used to be me looking after her.
“All I can do now is to try to make sure lessons are learned. Too many people are having their lives ruined unnecessarily by this awful condition. Doctors need to be alert to cauda equina syndrome and that scans and operations need to be done urgently when the red flags appear otherwise the chance of that patient recovering diminishes with every hour that passes.”
UPDATE @ 18:12 – A spokesman for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust has today said:
“We’re sorry that Mr Chiverton has concerns about his experience of care with us. We take all concerns about our services seriously and have a full range of arrangements in place for resolution of concerns and complaints.
“Mr Chiverton has chosen to take a legal route to resolve his concerns and whilst this issue is the subject of legal proceedings the Trust is unable to comment further.”
