“It was confirmed in evidence by Consultant Raciolocis fii ct a) X-rays undertaken on…”

The coroner’s concerns

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— (1) It was confirmed in evidence by Consultant Raciolocis fii ct a) X-rays undertaken on admission to the Accident & Emergency ward at Furness General Hospital are not immediately reviewed by a radiologist, but are assessed by the requesting physician. b) The X-rays are eventually reviewed by a radiologist on a non-urgent basis when capacity in the system permits. In the case of Mrs Pridmore, her x-ray was reviewed on 41" May 2015, 8 days after being taken and 4 days after she had died. c) X-rays are not reviewed sooner by a radiologist due to a shortage of available radiologists within the Trust. (2) It was confirmed in evidence by Consultant Physician ME that a) If Mrs Pridmore’s x-ray had been reviewed by a radiologist on 3 May 2015, it is likely that the rib fractures and associated haemothorax would have been identified and that Mrs Pridmore would have been cared for differently b) on the balance of probabilities, the outcome for Mrs Pridmore would have been the same due to her age and the nature of her injury. However the failure in identifying the fractures denied Mrs Pridmore the opportunity of a more appropriate course of treatment (e.g. pain management and symptom control) and the possibility, all be it remote, of a different outcome (3) It was confirmed in evidence by independent Consultant Radiologist, po iis a) the rib fractures were only discretely visible on the x-ray and would have required a trained radiologist to identify them b) the shortage of radiologists within the Morecambe Bay trust which prevented Mrs Pridmore’s x-ray from being reviewed by a radiologist sooner is reflective of a critical shortage of radiologists in the U.K. c) there are presently approximately 400 vacant consultant radiologist posts unfilled in the U.K. d) the target set yr 3 report entitled “NHS Services, Seven days a Week” (Paper NHS121315) for urgent x-rays of impatients to be completed (including the reporting by a radiologist) within 12 hours is far from being achieved both locally by Morecambe Bay Trust, but also nationally by all Health Trusts. This is due in part to a general increase in the use of scans and x-rays as diagnostic aids, but mainly due to the acute shortage of radiologist who are available and trained to interpret the relevant data accurately and in a timely manner. The Keogh targets whilist intended to become reality by the end of 2016/17 are becoming a more distant ideal than a realistically approaching target. it is probable that current delays on both a local and national basis in obtaining in a timely manner, accurate radiologist reports of x-rays and CT scans taken for diagnostic purposes, creates a foreseeable risk that further deaths may well arise as a consequence. Locally, a review of your procedures with regard to the assessment of x-rays is required and nationally, a review into the implementation of the recommendations of the Keogh report is likely to be necessary.

An extract. Read the full report, including the circumstances of the death, on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website.

Source

judiciary.uk, Prevention of Future Deaths reports, 2016-0491

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8 Oct 2026

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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, judiciary.uk. Open Government Licence v3.0