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Hospital manslaughter inquiry after patient dies begging for water
Benedict Moore-Bridger8 Mar 2010
A police investigation was under way today after a man with a brain tumour died of dehydration in hospital despite repeatedly begging nurses for water.
Kane Gorny, 22, was so desperate for a drink that he rang police from his bed begging them to intervene.
They arrived at St George's Hospital in Tooting, only to be told by doctors everything was under control. But when his mother Rita Cronin found him the following day, he was delirious and died hours later.
Homicide detectives are investigating and it is understood they are examining the possibility of a corporate manslaughter charge against the hospital.
Mr Gorny, who worked for Waitrose, had been admitted because medication he was taking for his tumour had made his bones weak and he needed a hip replacement. He had to take drugs three times a day to regulate his hormones, his mother said, and doctors had told him that without them he would die.
But Miss Cronin, 50, claimed “lazy” and “careless” hospital staff had failed to give her son vital drugs which controlled his fluid levels. Miss Cronin, who is divorced from her son's father Peter, added: “The police told me he'd said, Please help me. All I want is a drink and no one is helping me'.
“I think the nurses just ignored him because they thought he was being badly behaved. They were lazy, careless and hadn't bothered to check his charts and see his medication was essential.”
Three days after his operation, his condition had deteriorated. Miss Cronin said: “He was delirious and his mouth was open. I gave him a drink of Ribena. I told three nurses there was something wrong and they said, He's fine' and walked off.
"I started to cry and a locum doctor who was there told me not to worry. Eventually the ward doctor came round, took one look at Kane and started shouting for help.” He died an hour later on 29 May last year.
A coroner had such grave concerns about the circumstances of Mr Gorny's death that the Met have been called in. A spokesman for Scotland Yard confirmed homicide detectives were investigating after the death was referred to them by Westminster coroner's court.
A spokesman for St George's said: “We are extremely sorry about the death of Kane Gorny and understand the distress that this has caused to his family. A full investigation was carried out by the Trust in 2009 and new procedures introduced to ensure that such a case cannot happen in future.”
Reader views (1)
A spokesman for St George's said: “We are extremely sorry about the death of Kane Gorny and understand the distress that this has caused to his family. A full investigation was carried out by the Trust in 2009 and new procedures introduced to ensure that such a case cannot happen in future.”
Yeah Yeah - we've all heard it before - Lessons learn't.
- Disgusted, Somewhere in Lancashire, 13/03/2010 15:43
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