Another day, another depressing story

Another day, another depressing story

Another story of a tragic death of a young person was aired on the midland news today. It involves Amy Carter, who was admitted to Worcester Royal Infirmary and discharged with a diagnosis of glandular fever. She returned to the hospital in multiple organ failure due to bacterial sepsis, and died shortly after. The trust accepted out of court, without accepting liability - in fact they issued a statement that "At all stages of her hospital stay, Amy received appropriate care".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-28020357

Amy's parents appeared on television expressing their outrage. They were angry that the hospital has not apologised. They also felt that an internal review was inappropriate.Her father said:
"You want somebody who’s outside, who’s got nothing to do with the NHS or the trust or anything like that, somebody totally independent, to make them suffer and have to feel like we do now, for the rest of our lives. Somebody needs to pay for what they’ve done, and I don’t mean monetary, I mean pay emotionally and physically, the way we  [have]."
Perhaps understandable in the circumstances, although it is not the reaction I would have. No one set out to harm their daughter. No one deserves to be hurt for simply doing their job to the best of their ability. 

I have commented elsewhere about the failure of the tort system to provide satisfactory resolution for victims and relatives of medical negligence. We don't know that there was negligent care here. This is one of the problems with out-of-court settlements. Of course the Carters didn't have to accept an out-of-court settlement. Certainly if their main aim is to get at the truth, then going to court would be much preferable. Sadly the system does not accommodate this. It may well be that the hospital has nothing to apologise for. Medicine is full of uncertainty. It has been known for a patient to drop dead in the corridor after being pronounced fit in the cardiology clinic. 

The saddest aspect of this saga for me is the desire for retribution expressed quite clearly by Amy's father. It is a scenario that occurs with monotonous frequency. Can this bitterness be reduced by a different way of approaching these cases? Not in all cases I suspect. We need to recognize and understand this.