Memories of war
Chertsey domestic leads to fire call-out
P4-5
P3
ASHBURTON
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Thursday, Apr 24, 2014
Since Sept 27, 1879
Retail $1.40 Home delivered from 95c
THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
Hospital under fire BY TONI WILLIAMS
TIMELINE
TONI.W@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
Ashburton Hospital is under fire after being accused of misdiagnosing a broken hip that resulted in emergency hip replacement surgery yesterday. Nina Oakeshott, 77, was visiting family in Rakaia when she fell while out walking. Rakaia Medical Centre sent her to Ashburton Hospital via ambulance with a suspected broken hip and she was sent home with crutches and a diagnosis of bruising. Yesterday, one month after the incident, she was due to undergo an emergency hip replacement having broken her hip in the fall. The family of the woman filed a complaint with the Canterbury District Health Board this week. Daughter Jacky Oakeshott was outraged with, what she considered to be, the lax attitude of the Ashburton Hospital staff during a two-hour wait on the day and the treatment her mother received. “She is a bit bewildered about the whole thing. “We waited a good two hours before being x-rayed, no-one spoke to her in that time after they asked her the basics like ‘how did you do it?’ and ‘where
■ ■
■
■ ■
■ ■
does it hurt?’.” Ms Oakeshott said her mother was then x-rayed through all the bedding she had around her, including blankets used for warmth. “And they just x-rayed her as she was, with all the bedding. It took five minutes max and then they whipped her back upstairs where we waited.” The attitude of the doctor in
attendance did not help. “I was so wild, I was ready to see the CEO I was that wild.” Since then her mother had battled through “absolute agony” for three weeks. On returning to her own GP in Christchurch last week at the insistence of her physiotherapist, Mrs Oakeshott was sent to Princess Margaret Hospital on Tuesday for an x-ray.
It revealed her hip was broken and she was scheduled for surgery the following day. Ms Oakeshott said in the two-hour wait at the hospital staff did not appear to be busy and their “non-existent” people skills in this instance left a lot to be desired. Ms Oakeshott stressed that other times staff at the hospital had been amazing.
Mrs Oakeshott falls while on a walk in Rakaia visiting family. She is seen by a doctor at Rakaia Medical Centre and sent via ambulance with a suspected broken hip to Ashburton Hospital. After a two-hour wait and a five-minute x-ray through layers of bedding she was told it was just bruising, made to stand up in obvious pain and sent home. She was given crutches at the insistence of the family. After two-and-a-half weeks Mrs Oakeshott went to a physiotherapist who sent her to the doctor. Mrs Oakeshott’s GP got her in for an x-ray on Tuesday at Princess Margaret Hospital. The x-rays confirmed it was broken and she was booked for hip replacement surgery yesterday.
“I don’t know whether it’s lack of training they have, I don’t know, but I don’t want others to go through this. “There are a lot of elderly out there that don’t have family to stand up (for them). “I mean what would happen to them?” The CDHB said they were unable to comment on individual cases.
D
UE
WO
A ST
! 00 ND 7,5
ISS
s on HSeO cti
TIT
dream home in
paradise
A 6 $1 m EedM fro D T ric S LE
T GE
N
OW
Build your
p
Ph 03 307 7900 to subscribe!
Lochlea Estate is a new subdivision situated only minutes from the Ashburton Town Centre.
Email: tony@lochlearesort.co.nz
Contact Tony Sands - 0800 272 7837
Weather: High 15˚ - Overnight 8˚ Page 30
Puzzles: Page 29
Television: Page 31
Entrance off Racecourse Rd, Ashburton
Family Notices: Page 30
www.guardianonline.co.nz