Stafford hospital to be sentenced over poor care of diabetic patient who died

[Northerner]

Details of the poor care received by a 66-year-old diabetic patient who died at the scandal-hit Stafford hospital have emerged as the trust responsible is set to be sentenced over its failings.

Gillian Astbury died at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust-run hospital in April 2007 after two nurses failed to give her insulin. In 2013 the independent Francis report on the trust concluded there had been basic failings in standards of care at Stafford, with hundreds more patients dying than would have been expected between 2005 and 2008.

During the sentencing hearing at Stafford crown court on Friday, Bernard Thorogood, prosecuting, said Astbury had been let down by the "complete absence" of proper systems of handover between nurses, poor record-keeping and communication between wards and clinicians in place at Stafford at that time.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/...abetic-patient-died-stafford-hospital-details

I don't see what possible purpose fining a hospital does? What should happen is that those individuals responsible should be brought to trial to decide if they need to answer for their part in the affair. Taking money from a public body achieves nothing

 

[AlisonM]

I agree, all that will do is make it harder for folk in the area to access needed resources which will have to be cut to pay the fine. The people responsible need to be tried, which means those that made the decisions that led to such p*** poor care levels.

 

[Northerner]

Gillian Astbury death: Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust sentence delayed

The case of a diabetic patient who died at Stafford Hospital has "wider implications" that mean a judge needs "time to reflect" before sentencing the NHS Trust, a court has been told.

Gillian Astbury, 66, lapsed into a coma after nurses failed to give her insulin and died at the hospital in April 2007.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust admitted health and safety breaches.

Mr Justice Haddon-Cave told Stafford Crown Court he would reserve sentencing of the trust to a later date.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-26279657

But no explanation for the delay