In response to a “catalogue of errors,” the parents of an amateur football player who died from a flesh-eating infection criticized the NHS.
East Hunsbury resident Luke Abrahams passed away on the surgery table at Northampton General Hospital after initially expressing discomfort in his throat.
Last month, the 20-year-old complained of feeling poorly, and his doctor at Penvale Medical Centre prescribed medicines for tonsillitis.
The railway engineer started experiencing worsening leg discomfort a few days later, and his alarmed parents rushed him to the hospital.
He was sent home but his condition only intensified, and he begged his parents to call 999, saying he ‘couldn’t take the pain’ any longer.
A post-mortem examination revealed Luke had been suffering from septicaemia, Lemierre syndrome – a form of bacterial infection, and necrotising fasciitis – a flesh-eating disease.
His heartbroken parents Richard Abrahams, 60 and Julie Needham, 49, have now launched a legal bid to discover why so many mistakes were made.
The claim doctors missed a string of opportunities to potentially save their older son.
Richard, a manager at Currys, said: ‘No one has taken any responsibility over his death.
‘When he first went to the doctors and then started complaining about a pain in his leg, he should have been given more tests.
‘What is the point of over the phone consultations with the doctor? Doctors need to see you in person to give a correct diagnosis and that is why he was misdiagnosed.
‘In the end he was an emergency case, but they did not see that as they thought he just had tonsillitis and sciatica.
‘I cannot say whether he would definitely be here now, but they cut corners and misdiagnosed him.
‘Whichever way you look at it, none of the healthcare providers did their job properly. W are just left with “what ifs”.’
When Luke’s leg pain only worsened, spreading to his left buttock and leaving him unable to get out of bed, his mum rang 999.
Julie insisted her son’s condition was critical, begging for an ambulance to be sent, but her plea was refused.
Despite calling Penvale Medical Centre to organise transport to take him to A&E, no one called her back.
An ambulance eventually arrived at the family’s home but paramedics said Luke’s high heart rate and temperature was down to him fighting an infection.
Two days later, on January 22, he told his mum, ‘I can’t take the pain anymore’ and the family called 111 again who sent an ambulance.
Julie added: ‘They took him into hospital for further checks and that was it.
‘We got a call at 1am from Luke saying “can you come down, they want to see you,” and that is when we were told he has a 50/50 chance of survival.
‘The doctors said he is really poorly, he has got this bacterial eating infection and it is a life-threatening situation.
‘We were shocked but thought to ourselves, “they can save him”, we put our trust in them.
‘They said this is a life-threating operation and we might have to amputate his leg.
Source: Metro.co.uk