“Troubling” failures in NHS care lead to second inquest

A second inquest is to open on Monday (21 January 2013) into the death of Stanley Mack after the Court of Appeal quashed the verdict of an earlier inquest where the coroner failed to call the necessary witnesses.

Stan’s family has welcomed the second inquest which is being held at Birmingham Coroner’s Court on Monday and is expected to last for five days. They are hoping Coroner Ormond-Walshe will preside over a thorough investigation of the events which occurred at University Hospital Birmingham. The hospital was in the middle of one of the biggest ever Clostridium difficile outbreaks in England at the time of Stan’s death in 2008.

The inquest follows Mr Mack’s death at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham on 25th June 2008. He was admitted to the hospital two weeks earlier, on the 6th June, after hip surgery. The otherwise fit and healthy Mr Mack, who was 77 at the time, developed a severe Clostridium difficile infection. It is alleged that a series of systemic failings by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust led to his death. In his judgment in the family’s favour, Lord Justice Toulson referred to “the variety and troubling nature of the many shortcomings” of Stan’s care at UHB.

Mr Mack and his family are represented by Kerstin Scheel, a partner and clinical negligence expert at Withy King, who is available for interview along with Ian Mack, Stan’s son.