An inquest held by the Isle of Wight coroner, Caroline Sumeray, has revealed that a hospital clerk rigged appointment waiting times at St Mary’s Hospital.
The 26 year old clerk admitted to falsely recording that a patient had cancelled the appointments himself in order to reset the clock on waiting times.
The clerk claimed she was “told repeatedly if I breached any one I would lose my job”. Her line manager denied telling her that breaches would not be “tolerated”.
Over 3,000 cases being investigated
The rigging came to light during the inquest of a 64 year old man who died at sheltered accommodation in East Cowes in April 2016.
It was reported that four of his appointments with the endoscopy department had been cancelled and internal bleeding had not been investigated. The coroner found that he’d died from an alcohol-related condition, saying,
“The rigged appointments… didn’t lead to his death but they could have done.”
The BBC report that fighting back tears, the clerk said,
“I am not the monster I’ve been made out to be.”
The coroner also confirmed that “massive investigation” into more than 3,000 patients was still ongoing.
Our thoughts are with all involved.
Source: BBC Hampshire
Image: © Used with the kind permission of Auntie P
