'Death-row drug' used on stroke victim

A DAUGHTER who claims hospital staff tried to end the life of her elderly father has won the right to a new independent review of his medical treatment.

• Patricia and John MacGillivray at Gleneagles. Photograph: Neil Hanna

"Big John" MacGillivray, who greeted royalty, presidents and entertainment stars in his former job as head porter at the world-famous Gleneagles Hotel, was admitted to hospital last May after a suspected stroke.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But his daughter Patricia MacGillivray says the 79-year-old was given a potentially-lethal cocktail of drugs – including Midazolam, the sedation "drug of choice" of Death Row inmates – while in Perth Royal Infirmary and they were told he was expected to die.

Staff said he was "50 per cent brain dead" but when his family insisted he was taken off the sedative drug, he recovered and was able to leave hospital within ten days.

The family submitted formal complaints to both NHS Tayside and Tayside police. But a subsequent review of his case by a medical expert concluded that there was no evidence that staff had tried to kill the patient and a police investigation also drew a blank.

But following pressure from local politicians also dissatisfied with the outcome, Tayside police have now agreed to hold a second investigation into the case and seek a fresh medical opinion.

A spokeswoman for Tayside Police confirmed: "A senior officer is currently carrying out a review of our investigation into her (Patricia's] father's care whilst he was a patient at Perth Royal Infirmary. We have also asked that further medical opinion is sought."

Patricia said: "I'm absolutely delighted there's going to be a second independent review. I fundamentally believe hospital staff would have killed my father had I not intervened."

Patricia, 43, a hostess at Gleneagles' Restaurant Andrew Fairlie, said the family became immediately concerned about the level of medical care on the ward after John was admitted.

"It was atrocious," she said. "We as a family had to take care of my father's toileting needs. Later on, staff dropped him and showed little compassion.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Myself, three sisters, two brothers and my dad's 14 grandchildren decided to take it in turns to mount a two-person 24-hour protection of him to make sure he came to no harm."

At 7am, on Sunday 24 May, the family say they were told John was "50 per cent brain dead" and would die that night.

"I was sitting at my father's bedside at 3am on the Monday morning and I suddenly got an instinctive feeling that I was seeing death being administered to my father."

"I asked the night nurse what the drugs were for and he replied 'to control his seizures'. My father had never had a seizure in his life. I now believe from my research they gave him drugs to induce seizures and then gave the 'death-row' drug to 'deal' with the seizures and kill him at the same time.

Patricia demanded the medication – which she later discovered was Midazolam – be stopped. "Instead of being 50 per cent brain dead, dying within hours, after our insisting the drugs were stopped our dad was walking up and down the ward with the physiotherapist telling him they couldn't keep up with him. Within ten days he was home walking round his garden.

Following the complaint, NHS Tayside ordered an independent review, which was conducted by Professor Martin Dennis of NHS Lothian, which was completed in September 2009.

While Professor Dennis concluded: "I can find no evidence to support the allegation that staff attempted to kill the patient, ie to practise euthanasia" he also referred to some aspects of his care as "sub-optimal."

But, he added: "The patient has made a full recovery and is now at home. He does not appear to have suffered any long-term consequences of any of the sub-optimal aspects of his medical care."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The family said the outcome of the investigations was "wholly unsatisfactory." They have been backed by MSP Richard Simpson, the Labour health spokesman at Holyrood, and MP Gordon Banks.

Dr Simpson, the MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, and a GP, said: "You can use Midazolam to control seizures but unless seizures are clearly recorded on medical records the drug being used in this way would not be appropriate.

Maggie Simpson, NHS Tayside Delivery Unit director of nursing said: "NHS Tayside has carried out a detailed and thorough investigation into this matter. This comprehensive review of the situation has clearly identified that we need take no further action."

John, meanwhile, is simply enjoying being alive to spend time with his family. He said: "When I found out what had happened to me I felt extremely disappointed and angry at the medical profession."

Related topics: