Hospital apologises for bad treatment

Frances Teirney and daughter Claire laid a complaint with the Waitemata DHB over the treatment of Ralph Teirney. Photo / Natalie Slade

North Shore Hospital has apologised to the family of an elderly heart patient who was left in the emergency department for five hours between doctor consultations - despite the appeals of his wife and daughter for more help.

The hospital has acknowledged lapses in the care provided to Ralph Teirney, who died last October, aged 82.

Mr Teirney, who had years previously had heart bypass surgery, turned grey, suffered chest pain and couldn't breathe properly on a Saturday evening in June last year.

He was at home in Stanmore Bay, north of Auckland, watching TV with his wife, Frances, and daughter Claire.

They called an ambulance, but had to wait 30 minutes for one to arrive.

At hospital, Mr Teirney was diagnosed with angina, when in fact he was later found to have had a heart attack, Claire Teirney said.

When he arrived, he was not given thrombolysis - clot-busting medication - and attempts to get more help for Mr Teirney were, apart from his being given morphine, "curtly and harshly" rebuffed by an administrative staff member, Miss Teirney said.

When she had sought pain relief for her father, after a nurse-aide had turned off his call bell without obtaining any help, the administrative staff member had said: "Well, you'll just have to wait."

She now wishes she had been "a bolshie, arrogant and demanding person and gotten my Dad the attention he needed. As it was, we waited, we politely asked and got neglected."

She was spurred into complaining about her father's care by the series of articles in the Herald in September about patients' bad experiences at North Shore Hospital.

The Waitemata District Health Board said yesterday, following a six-week investigation into Miss Teirney's complaint, that her father was diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome, which covers both unstable angina and acute heart attack.

"When Mr Teirney arrived ... he was given the standard therapy for acute coronary syndrome, but in retrospect he may have benefited from ... thrombolysis," said chief medical officer Dr Andrew Brant.

"There was a discussion between the cardiologist and the [emergency] doctors at the time. There was doubt over it by everyone looking at the [electrocardiogram or ECG] heart tracing. It wasn't a clear-cut decision."

Dr Brant said it was a lapse in care that, after Mr Teirney was treated by doctors on his arrival, he wasn't checked by one again until 4.30am, although he was monitored by nurses.

"He should have been seen by a medical team earlier."

Asked why this didn't occur, Dr Brant said: "There were, as I acknowledge, communication problems going on between the family and the clinical staff."

"I have personally met with the Teirney family and expressed our sincere apologies for the lack of consistent care that Mr Teirney received whilst in our care."

He said changes to patient care systems were being introduced following the investigation.

One was to send copies of ECG traces from heart patients in the hospital to on-call cardiologists at home, rather than describing the findings over the phone.

Catalogue of misery

Mid-evening, Saturday, June 27 last year: Ralph Teirney turned grey at his home in Whangaparaoa, developed chest pain and had trouble breathing.

9.40pm: Ambulance called but not immediately available.

9.45pm: Firefighters arrive, give oxygen.

10.10pm: Ambulance arrives.

10.45-11.30pm: Mr Teirney arrives at North Shore Hospital and is attended to by emergency doctor and other staff.

4.30am, Sunday: Mr Teirney's next check by a doctor.

8am: Admitted to coronary care unit and has another heart attack, which leads to pneumonia.

October 14 last year: Died at home.