University Hospitals Birmingham has expressed its deep sorrow after hospital failures contributed to the death of a beloved mother. Geraldine Miles, an 84-year-old mother of five and grandmother, passed away following omissions in her care during resident doctor strikes at Good Hope Hospital in November.
Missed Opportunities in Care
Mrs Miles, known as 'Dina,' was discharged from hospital on Monday, November 17, despite a low potassium level that had been left unactioned on her records for four days. Just hours after returning home, the untreated condition led to a cardiac arrest. She was readmitted to the Sutton Coldfield hospital, where a catastrophic brain injury was discovered, and she died on November 26.
Before her admission on November 7 with diarrhoea, Mrs Miles had been independent, able to shop, cook, and drive. An inquest revealed that the hospital trust acknowledged missed opportunities in her care and has since taken steps to prevent similar tragedies.
Trust Apologises
A spokesperson for Good Hope Hospital said: "We are deeply sorry for the death of Mrs Geraldine Miles and extend our sincere condolences to her family. The coroner concluded that Mrs Miles died from complications of Clostridium difficile, with omissions in her medical care contributing to her death. Mrs Miles' care was delivered during a period of industrial action which had affected usual working arrangements. The Trust accepts and apologises for the opportunities that were missed and has taken action to improve clinical processes, including oversight and handovers, to help prevent a similar tragedy in future."
Inquest Findings
At the inquest, Area Coroner Emma Brown identified both system and individual failings, stating that "her death was avoidable and due to omissions in medical care." She recorded a narrative conclusion, noting that the failures would not have occurred under normal working conditions without the impact of national strikes. "It really shocks me that the result can sit there for four days," the coroner said. "I do think the industrial action had a bearing on this case."
Mrs Miles' cause of death was hypoxic brain injury due to a cardiac arrest, caused by hypokalaemia (low potassium) resulting from Clostridioides difficile infection. Although a University Hospitals Birmingham investigation did not find the strike to be a significant factor, the coroner disagreed, calling the oversight a "gross failure" under normal circumstances.
Ensuring potassium levels were correct was described as "very basic medicine." The coroner accepted that the strikes increased cognitive load and the risk of errors. She did not issue a prevention of future deaths report, as she believed steps taken by the trust will reduce the risk of similar incidents during future strikes.
