Family fury over six year wait for dialysis inquiry

THE daughters of a man who died during a botched dialysis treatment have hit out at the Crown Office after waiting six years for a fatal accident inquiry verdict.

Ronald McAllister, 63, was having dialysis treatment at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in October 2006. However, a needle dislodged from one of his veins during the procedure, depriving him of blood and oxygen, causing brain damage after a period of cardiac arrest.

After an alarm sounded 45 minutes into the treatment, staff found him unconscious and lying in a pool of blood. He was rushed to intensive care, but never recovered. He died three days later.

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In a judgment delivered yesterday, Sheriff Johanna Johnson, QC, said Mr McAllister’s death was avoidable. Sheriff Johnson criticised the Crown Office over the delay in the investigation of the death, warned failures persist at Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board (GGCHB), and singled out two nurses for criticism.

In a joint statement issued after the judgment was published, Mr McAllister’s daughters, Andrea Little and Beverley Taylor, said: “While we are pleased that the circumstances surrounding our father’s death have finally been fully investigated we are saddened and disappointed it has taken such a long time to reach this point. It has taken over six years since our father died for us to have these answers and in our opinion the stress and the toll that has taken on our everyday lives and our families is totally unacceptable. No family should be made to suffer in this way for such a sustained period of time.”

They added: “It is extremely worrying that six years on from our father’s death the inquiry still identified failings in the haemodialysis training provided by Greater Glasgow Health (and Clyde) Board and that staff are still displaying a lack of knowledge in operating dialysis ­machines.”

In her judgment, Sheriff Johnson said: “I have recorded my concerns about the training and procedures in place within GGCHB. Staff Nurse [Alex] Oag had no knowledge of the settings on dialysis machines and stated that he had had no training on the matter.”

Turning to the Crown Office, Ms Johnson added: “I consider that there has been an unacceptable delay in bringing the inquiry into the circumstances of the death of Mr McAllister to a conclusion.

“The periods of inactivity by the Crown are likely to have led to further upset and anxiety for the family of Mr McAllister.”

A GGCHB spokeswoman said: “NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde would like to reiterate its deepest condolences to this patient’s family for their loss. It would be inappropriate for us to comment further as this remains an ongoing legal matter.”