Woman dies after hospital spent six hours trying to call GP

The GP's phone line "was consistently engaged"

Woman dies after hospital spent six hours trying to call GP

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A woman died after hospital staff repeatedly tried to call her GP to urge her to go to hospital immediately.

Barbara Osbaldeston, originally from Southport, was found dead at her home in Preston on November 9 last year. Blood tests taken at the Royal Preston Hospital revealed the 64-year-old had critically low potassium levels, reports LancsLive.

The hospital's laboratory staff repeatedly tried to call Miss Osbaldeston's GP but were unable to get through to them for six hours as the phone line was "was consistently engaged". When they finally got through to the GP, they tried to call Miss Osbaldeston but there was no answer and she was later found dead.

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Earlier this year Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Royal Preston Hospital, revealed a rapid review investigation had been launched after clinicians raised concerns over Miss Osbaldeston's care. An inquest held last week at Preston Coroner's Court heard that Miss Osbaldeston, a retired industrial machinist, died from coronary artery disease and hypokalaemia - low potassium. Bowel cancer was recorded as a contributory factor.

Area Coroner Kate Bisset returned a narrative conclusion and said: "Barbara Osbaldeston died on November 9, 2022, at her home address. She had previously had bowel cancer resulting in a stoma which later developed high output, triggering episodes of low potassium and sodium.

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"Following hospital admissions in September and October 2022, Miss Osbaldeston underwent blood tests which revealed low potassium levels. The hospital laboratory attempted to contact Miss Osbaldeston's GP to communicate an urgent need to attend hospital for treatment but the phone line was engaged consistently so it took six hours for that result to be communicated to the GP surgery.

"Following the results from the laboratory, the GP surgery attempted to contact Miss Osbaldeston from 4.40pm onwards but were unable to reach her and thus her low potassium was untreated and contributed to her death."

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