somerset ccg

Pancreatitis care review after death of Taunton man

A Taunton man who died 10 years ago from a severe medical condition prompted a review on care as Somerset’s NHS publishes a service review of health and social care provision for people with pancreatitis.

Following the death in 2009 of Andrew Prentice, who suffered from pancreatitis, his mother, Mrs Brenda Prentice, made assertions that while she and her son raised numerous complaints about his health and social care, since his tragic death little has changed with respect to the various services he tried to access.

Jobs in Taunton careers work recruitment
Advertising

After listening to Mrs Prentice’s concerns, Sandra Corry, the Director of Quality and Nursing at Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG,) together with Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, commissioned an independent external review of Mr Andrew Prentice’s case.  Professor Brian Toft was commissioned to lead the review. At the time Professor Toft was Principal of Risk Partnerships and Visiting Professor of Patient Safety at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

The objectives of the review were to:

  • Identify opportunities to improve care across a range of health and social care services
  • Review areas where service provision failed to meet Mr Prentice’s health and social care needs and form a view on whether these conditions continue today
  • Use the findings to inform individual service providers and the wider care system of gaps in services and / or arrangements which should be prioritised for improvement
  • Review how complaints are responded to now in Somerset.

The report concludes that a person suffering from the same or a similar medical condition as Mr Prentice would today find a health and social care environment that is considerably different to the past, and one which has vastly improved.  The report also makes recommendations where further improvements can be made and these are being reviewed and actioned.

The response from health and social care

NHS Somerset CCG, Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust said: “We wish to express our sympathy to Mrs Prentice for the loss of her son. We understand her frustration and feeling that health and social services let her son down.  We hope that this review and our commitment to take action where possible will bring her some comfort.

“In Somerset, health and social care agencies are working together more and more to ensure services are integrated – this is one of the central aims of the Fit for My Future programme in Somerset.”

NHS England South West South has also received the report and acted on the recommendations.

Somerset County Council said: “We understand the frustration this case caused and reiterate our sympathies to Mrs Prentice. There have been considerable improvements across the system since the period covered by this review, but more can always be done and we welcome the report and its recommendations which are being taken forward by all the agencies involved.”

You can see the full report.

Stay up to date with more Taunton News, Taunton Events and Taunton Jobs

Loading Please Wait...