Father wants medics charged over teenage daughter's death

THE death of a teenage girl who died after being given an overdose of paracetamol could have been avoided if medical staff had checked the dosage, an inquiry has ruled.

Tragic Danielle Welsh was given almost double the recommended dose of the painkiller 20 times between 18 and 22 June, 2008.

The 19-year-old, who had a rare syndrome which meant she was only 4ft tall, was being treated for an infection at Glasgow's Southern General Hospital when she died from liver failure as a result of the overdose.

In a written determination on the case, Sheriff Andrew Cubie said that Dr Shamita Das and pharmacist Lesley Murray should have checked the dosage in the British National Formulary as it was the uncommonly used intravenous paracetamol.

Sheriff Cubie also stated that nursing staff who administered the drug should have checked the appropriate dosage for Danielle's weight.

Danielle's father John Welsh yesterday said that his family was devastated that the inquiry had not gone further and called for the medical staff to be prosecuted for their negligence.

He said: "All this talk that her death could have been avoided is ridiculous. They actually killed her. They gave her an overdose and were plain and simply negligent.

"I would like to see these people held accountable for what they did, I want a prosecution. These people caused the death of my daughter. Her death didn't have anything to do with illness, it was caused when they gave her double the amount of the drug she should have been given and continued to do it again and again."

The fatal accident inquiry at Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that Dr Das was first asked to prescribe intravenous paracetamol for Danielle on 18 June, 2008.

Dr Das told the inquiry that this was the first time she had ever been asked to prescribe the drug and she gave an adult dose not realising how light Danielle was as a result of her condition.

The inquiry heard that she never saw Danielle or spoke to her, and said that the fact she only weighed five and a half stone was never flagged up to her.

The inquiry heard that a total of 23 medical staff then treated Danielle while she was being given too much of the drug and no-one noticed.

The teenager, formerly of Ashkirk Drive, Glasgow, was later transferred to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and died on 24 June, 2008.

Mr Welsh added: "Danielle's death has left a massive hole in the family. We're all devastated and struggle with it every day."