The family of 14-year-old girl who died during an over-stretched hospital night shift have called for more NHS staff to be on duty around-the-clock.
Emma Welch underwent an apparently successful operation to correct a curvature of her spine just days after undertaking a charity walk up Mount Snowdon. But the following night she suffered an internal bleed which triggered a fatal heart attack and she required emergency surgery.
However, just two of nine operating theatres at Bristol Children’s Hospital were open at the time because it was late at night – and they were both in use. There were not enough anaesthetists or emergency staff to open another theatre so medics had to operate on her by torchlight on a ward.
Doctors battled through the night to try and replace the blood she was rapidly losing but she tragically died at 3.42am on June 4.
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Emma on her ascent of Mount Snowdon
Filed under: NHS Blunders, Medical Blunders
