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Special deliveries let my at Furness General wife Hospital - Page 17 die’ Marital bliss

ANGRY: Garth Erhart has accused FGH doctors of failing his wife

Fury as doctors were left Special report Couple who battled Pages 6/7 tragedy find happy to repeat tragic mistake ending - Page 19 6 / THE MAIL nwemail.co.uk Monday August 5, 2019 EXCLUSIVE MAIL INVESTIGATION Trust says sorry to families

UHMBT has apologised to the families of Irene Erhart and Peter Read. Medical director Dr Da- vid Walker (pictured) said: “We feel deeply sorry for Mr Erhart, and for the fam- ily of Mr Read and want to apologise to, and reassure them and your readers, that we take every case where a patient dies extremely seri- ously and that safety for our patients is our primary aim HEARTBROKEN: Garth Erhart with a picture of his wife Irene. Inset: Mrs Erhart is pictured during her modelling days as a healthcare organisa- tion. “Because of that over- riding concern with safety, and in the light of a number of concerns raised about the Urology Department, including these cases from 2011 and 2015, we invited a ‘Doctors failed my review of the department by the Royal College of Sur- geons in 2016. “We have additionally car- ried out a huge amount of work to ensure the culture in the department contin- sick beautiful wife’ ues to improve to ensure the best care for our patients and that our staff are well THE husband of a woman treated By Amy Fenton sister who took the unorthodox Erhart’s life by carrying out an by doctors whose failings contrib- step of calling Mr Duffy. operation which ‘had not been supported at work. [email protected] “In the autumn we will be uted to her death has spoken of She said: “On a number of occa- considered by those previously undertaking a peer review his horror after discovering one ary 7, 2011. sions I called Peter and asked him treating her’. of the department by ex- made the same mistake again. She had been admitted to FGH to come over because I thought Speaking from his home in pert clinicians from another Garth Erhart from Walney has on December 3 in 2010 with a sys- Mr Jain and Mr Madhra were fail- Strathmore Avenue on Walney, trust to ensure that the ac- this week found out, following temic infection which had origi- ing patients.” Mr Erhart, a retired shipyard fit- tions arising out of the Roy- a lengthy investigation by The nated in her urinary tract. Mr Duffy, who now works on the ter, said the hospital trust should al College Review have been Mail, that four years after his During the following four weeks Isle of Man, travelled to FGH on a have sacked both consultants at fully embedded and ensure wife Irene died the same consult- her husband said two consult- day off and arrived to find ‘a very, the time. there are no further actions ant made similar mistakes which ants; Ashutosh Jain and Kavinder very sick and septic lady who was “The pain, the anger, it’s never required. a coroner said contributed to the Madhra, treated her solely with clearly dying’. faded. You just learn to live with “In terms of the cases re- death of another patient. antibiotics and took no further He said: “The ideal time to op- it,” he said. ferred to, we have fully co- Mrs Erhart, a former comp- action despite her deterioration. erate had already come and long “Both of those doctors should operated with the coroner tometrist at Barrow steelworks, “They never came and spoke to gone.” have been struck off. It’s scandal- in both cases at the time and was 79 when she died on Febru- me, or my son, to explain what Mr Duffy then advised Mrs Er- ous that one is still there and the ensured the coroner was they were doing; because they did hart’s that operating was very other was allowed to continue satisfied we had taken all ac- nothing for my beautiful wife,” risky given her condition but working there for seven years ‘til tions that we should. Mr Erhart, 89, said. without surgery she would die. he left.” “We appreciate that this Mrs Erhart continued to worsen Mr Duffy rushed Mrs Erhart to Mr Madhra, 63, resigned from is very traumatic for Mrs and, by the end of January, ward theatre but ‘it was much too late UHMBT in September 2018 after Erhart’s husband and Mr staff were so worried about the and she died a few days later’. the General Medical Council im- Read’s family and in Mr consultants’ failure to act that a Following an inquestdeputy posed conditions on his practice Read’s case have met with senior sister called consultant coroner Philip Sharp recorded following numerous concerns the family. urologist Peter Duffy who was a conclusion which stated: “The about his abilities. “We would also be pleased then based at the Royal Lancaster cause of death was contributed to One of the most serious of his to meet with Mr Erhart and Infirmary. by the failure to provide a stent to errors during his UHMBT career discuss any aspect of the Mr Duffy, who was constructive- drain Mrs Erhart’s infection ear- almost resulted in a patient hav- case with him. ly dismissed from UHMBT in 2016 lier in her treatment.” ing the wrong kidney being re- “We want to assure them after claiming his whistleblow- The deputy coroner concluded moved. that our investigations ing about his colleagues had been that ‘Mrs Erhart should have A hearing at the Medical Practi- have been thorough, we ignored, said the sister told him: been considered suitable for a tioners Tribunal Service to decide have learned lessons and of “The two clinicians in charge of stent much earlier in her admis- if Mr Madhra is fit to practice has course if Mr Duffy has any her care were doing nothing and sion which would have given her started and has been adjourned further information we’d be all the ward staff were frightened much better prospects’. until January 2020. grateful to hear from him.” she was going to die.” The deputy coroner praised Mr Mr Jain continues to work at CONSULTANT: Kavinder Madhra The Mail has also spoken to the Duffy for his attempts to save Mrs the trust. Monday August 5, 2019 nwemail.co.uk THE MAIL / 7 EXCLUSIVE MAIL INVESTIGATION Medics made mistake again

THE daughter of a man who died death on the request of the coro- however, it was too late, and Mr four years on from Irene Erhart ner. Read died on January 2. has spoken of her disgust at dis- The report reveals the ‘cata- His daughters Karen Beamer covering the same consultant’s strophic’ outcome was contrib- and Nicola Read were horrified mistakes contributed to his death. uted to by Mr Jain’s and Mr to discover this week, as a result Peter Read died after developing Naseem’s ‘failure to undertake’ of information obtained by The urosepsis, caused by ‘missed op- treatment and replace a stent. Mail, that Mr Jain had been in- portunities to change his ureteric NHS guidance states that stents volved in the care of Mrs Erhart stent’, a coroner later ruled. should be changed every six and that a coroner ruled a lack of Mr Read was treated by Ashu- months. action contributed to her death. tosh Jain, the same consultant Mr Read was admitted to Royal “In 2011 a coroner ruled failings who, four years earlier was in- Lancaster Infirmary in December in the care of Irene contributed volved in the care of Mrs Erhart. 2015 after a series of admissions to her death and clearly, despite A coroner said the failings of for vomiting and stomach pain. what the trust claim, lessons were Mr Jain and fellow urological His condition deteriorated over not learned,” she said. consultant Saleem Naseem con- a number of weeks but neither Mrs Beamer has praised Mr tributed to Mr Read’s death. Both Mr Jain or Mr Naseem changed Duffy for trying to save her dad. still work at the University Hos- the stent when he became acutely “Peter did everything he could. pitals of Morecambe Bay NHS unwell with sepsis. “The trust has lost quite pos- Foundation Trust. Peter Duffy was made aware sibly the best urological consult- The Mail has now obtained a of the situation on December 30 ant they have ever had. And Mr copy of a Root Cause Analysis and replaced the stent during his Jain and Mr Naseem are still em- investigation carried out by the lunch break as an emergency. ployed and earning huge salaries LET DOWN: Doctors’ mistakes contributed to the death of Peter Read hospital trust after Mr Read’s As with the case of Irene Erhart paid for by the public.”