Hospital failed to spot girl's broken ankle and sent her home - twice
A PLYMOUTH couple are launching a formal complaint against Derriford Hospital after claiming staff twice misdiagnosed their daughter's fractured ankle.
Mike and Jane Molyneux are furious their daughter Jordan, 11, was sent back from the Accident and Emergency department with an elasticated bandage on her leg and told by a member of staff that it was sprained and she should exercise it as much as possible.
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The next day, July 9, they returned because the ankle had turned purple and Jordan was in great pain and had lost all feeling in her toes.
They say a doctor told the youngster, who had fallen off her mountain bike, that the ankle was definitely not broken.
They claim he advised her to rest it for a couple of days and then return to school, and suggested making an appointment with the fracture clinic.
Mrs Molyneux, 49, asked why this was necessary if the ankle was not broken, only to be told, she claims, that it would ensure the hospital's crutches were returned.
When she asked why the ankle had turned purple, the doctor said he did not know.
Jordan returned to Plymstock School on July 13 but was put in isolation and later sent home because she was in such pain.
When she attended the fracture clinic 12 days after the accident, Jordan had another X-ray and was immediately told the ankle was cracked.
Mrs Molyneux, from Staddiscombe, said: "We can't understand why staff had failed to see a break earlier. She should never have been allowed to walk on it, which could have made it worse.
"Jordan is an outdoorsy girl and previously broke her arm in two places falling off her rollerblades, but this was much more painful.
"She has been crying and I have never seen her in so much pain.
"I can't understand how the people who looked at the original X-ray didn't see that Jordan's ankle was broken."
A spokesman for Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust said: "Through The Herald, we have encouraged the parents to get in contact with our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (Pals).
"As with all matters, our Pals team will be able to look into their concerns thoroughly and investigate them through the appropriate channels."
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by plysuperwoman
Tuesday, July 26 2011, 2:10PM
“i wish all you negative people would move somewhere were you can,t get NHS for god sake it was a broken ankle ? the staff are human not robots ! i had the same happen to be my arm and a xray missed it yes i was in pain for a week but i did,nt go running to the press i,m gratefull for derriford as another time they actually save my life ! now grow up and shut up and think how lucky we are to have NHS if not move to a third world country were they have to walk 100s of miles just be told they have to get in a que of like another 100s of other people sadly of which most of them are there for days and even dead before they get there !!! I,D SAY THINK YOURSELF LUCKY !! WELL DONE ON ALL YOUR HARD WORK DERRIFORD AND ALL THE NHS !!!!”
by myopinion4u
Tuesday, July 26 2011, 1:50PM
“Why the hell has this been ressurrected?????”
by o0Dj0o
Tuesday, July 26 2011, 1:39PM
“Two words.............................. Private Healthcare!”
by Winstonsmith0
Tuesday, July 26 2011, 12:42PM
“All these people on here who went to Derriford with broken toes, ankles, feet and legs.
Did they go 'running' to the media???
Hmmm?”
by stargazer644
Tuesday, July 26 2011, 3:31AM
“It is this core of bad and indifferent staff, who are a minority, who give Derriford hospital its reputation. Everyone else, from the A@E department to the fracture clinic, were excellent, caring, polite professionals. It seemed to me the staff and at least one 'alleged' doctor who advised me I would need my fracture 're-done' without any anesthetic the next morning, were not just morons, but callous and indifferent morons. This is the root of the problem at Derriford.
Shaugh ward may not be the only problem there, but it was the one I was unfortunate to discover.
A few bad apples ruining the name for all.”
by stargazer644
Monday, July 25 2011, 12:36AM
“Derriford hospital has not got the best reputation nationally for cleanliness, staff attitude, care and professionalism. I had never really believed any of this until I broke a limb and ended up in Shaugh ward. I was not given my daily medication, no painkillers for 15 hours, and my request to have a patient next to me with a bad stomach bug, put in isolation, was greeted with rudeness and contempt. The physio team and the ward staff were in my opinion a bunch of morons. and I signed myself out. I contracted a stomach infection and was very ill for ten days following.the problem Derriford has. and every good decent professional there has to live them down. It needs a clean sweep.”
by Rich, Plym
Friday, July 23 2010, 8:29PM
“Claire, Quote "They misdiagnosed my two broken foot bones, twice! Did I run to the paper? No, why?"
Brilliant!”
by mark, torbay
Friday, July 23 2010, 7:54PM
“you really need to have a look at the quality of ther training they have recieved throughout there career. it makes you wonder though do these guys knwo what they are doing some of them. Are they even properly trained? does the nhs have language barrier problems with immigrant doctors. our local gp wrongly diagnosed somebody in our family with cancer and told him he had piles and sent him home. Yet we got no mention in the paper. These are not isolated incidents and happen all the time but rarely get found out by the public or made aware of. medical science is still a very clumsy practice at our courrent state of being. We are still not very advanced as a race. remember than doctors are only human beings that have done medical degrees and this does not make them god or mirical performers.”
by Anon, Plymouth
Friday, July 23 2010, 4:46PM
“Some fractures can only be spotted once they start healing particulary if they are subtle or undisplaced. For significant healing to start, so it can actually been seen, takes about a week so there is no point going to fracture clinic for xray before then.”
by Tess, Plymouth
Friday, July 23 2010, 3:26PM
“Maybe the person who first looked at the Xray should've gone to specsavers.”