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Hospital reviews policy after tragic Colin's death

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

A NORTHSIDE mother whose son died in a hospital in 2005 says new protocols introduced to prevent similar deaths will be his legacy. Loretta Evans, from Donaghmede, told Northside People of her emotional struggle since the death of her son four years ago to ensure that no more patients die in such circumstances. Mrs Evans’ son, Colin (26), tragically passed away at the Mater Hospital while his consultant was on holidays after developing a reaction to an antibiotic. The family later learned that the consultant had gone away without signing Colin over to another medical team. Now, following an internal review into Colin’s death, formal procedures for the transfer of patients have been put in place to ensure that this never happens again. A new policy will be formally launched in the Mater Hospital this week dedicated to the memory of Colin. “This decision to introduce new protocols at the Mater allows us some closure,” said Mrs Evans. “This is his legacy; our struggle to make sure it never happens again and no family has to go through what we did. “Our family lost a son and brother and we will never get over this.”  Colin had suffered congenital heart disease from birth and had a pacemaker fitted at a young age.  However, his family say he was in reasonably good health and his death was a huge shock. “He had just undergone very successful surgery and was getting back into his normal life,” Mrs Evans stated. “The surgeon had told Colin he would be home by the weekend but unfortunately he became ill and had a reaction to his medication.” On the advice of a cardiologist Colin was taken off his course of antibiotics but the following day the surgical team failed to attend to him during their rounds. “There was no formal handover policy in place at the time, which has been described as a ‘system failure’,” Mrs Evans added. Following Colin’s death his heartbroken family appealed to the hospital to investigate his case, leading to an independent internal review. “We told the hospital that the system failed Colin because there was no formal handover policy,” she stated. “We want to make sure it doesn’t fail any other families.”  Barry Evans said his brother Colin was much loved around the area and lived life to the full while enriching many other lives around him. “He loved his car and all things motoring and would have given Jeremy Clarkson a run for his money,” Barry joked. “He had a very eclectic and sometimes puzzling taste in music and more puzzling still, he was a fan of Blackburn Rovers. “His greatest passion, however, was horse racing. “As a manager in Ladbrokes he found his dream job and I am sure he would have worked for free except the money helped him to fill his beloved car with petrol.” Barry said that after Colin’s death their lives were never the same again.  “Nothing will ever fill the empty space in our hearts that this tragedy has left,” he declared. “This has been a long, painful journey for us. “Strengthened by Colin’s unwavering bravery and spirit, we fought hard to effect change. “We are heartened by the efforts being made by the Mater to embrace the need for change.  “The fact is, however, that this should not have happened to Colin. “It is time for all hospitals to now commit to using this policy.”