Boy, 8, died of kidney failure after 'neglectful' ambulance service refused to send ambulance to 9

Boy, 8, died of kidney failure after 'neglectful' ambulance service refused to send ambulance to 999 call

www.d ailymail.co.uk

Louis Austin, eight, had been off school for days after complaining of blinding headaches and chronic fatigue.
When his condition began to deteriorate rapidly over the weekend his worried family dialled the emergency number.
But instead of sending an ambulance, call handler Andrew Wright, decided he was not a priority and the call was transferred to the urgent care desk.
Louis of Old Trafford, Manchester was then passed on to a out-of-hours doctor who wrongly diagnosed him with swine flu and prescribed a course of Tamiflu.
The schoolboy slipped out of consciousness and died two days later after undiagnosed diabetes led to kidney failure.
An inquest into his death heard that Louis would have had at least a 95 per cent chance of surviving if he had been taken to hospital.

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 22/4/2010 by Mirthful Me]

Another score for socialized medicine. Rather than focus on the sad events that led to Louis Austin's untimely passing, I'd rather focus on why Louis' diabetes was undiagnosed. Surely a Utopian system with free healthcare wouldn't let a serious and easily treatable disease go undetected and to the point of causing his tragic death. Surely the parents of young Louis could have easily picked up his emaciated body and taken him to the hospital themselves... Or did they know that his admission would not be guaranteed? Speculation for sure, but the comedy of errors led to nothing but tragedy. When will the NHS truly be held responsible for these all to frequent incidents.

www.d ailymail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Mirthful Me


Shush, how dare you criticize Socialist medicine, you must be a racist .

Good find look forward to this kind of rationed care myself, oh wait i already get that at the VA... Damn, well now I have nothing to look forward to

Anything to get rid of the old supply of tamiflu.

That doctor probably got paid for every subscription, it is not uncommon.

I hope he loses his license and the phone operator loses his job.

This is so wrong on all levels, I do not the system in UK and what protocols are followed for it to be considered an emergency. I have heard of plenty of *NIP* by not only the responders but by the medical staff employed by the hospitals in the UK. Its sad that this type of system is being forced on us.

Mod Edit: Profanity/Circumvention Of Censors – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 22-4-2010 by Skyfloating]

Socialized medicine isn't always bad.

Here in Brazil, they broke expensive capitalistic patents for antiretrovirals to treat HIV infection.

Horrible event, but don't blame the NHS 100%...

Afterall, the NHS uses the metal Silver in dermatology, which pseudosceptics like Stephen Barrett speaks against Colloidal and Ionic Silver.

Originally posted by Mirthful Me


Another score for socialized medicine. Rather than focus on the sad events that led to Louis Austin's untimely passing, I'd rather focus on why Louis' diabetes was undiagnosed. Surely a Utopian system with free healthcare wouldn't let a serious and easily treatable disease go undetected and to the point of causing his tragic death. Surely the parents of young Louis could have easily picked up his emaciated body and taken him to the hospital themselves... Or did they know that his admission would not be guaranteed? Speculation for sure, but the comedy of errors led to nothing but tragedy. When will the NHS truly be held responsible for these all to frequent incidents.

www.d ailymail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

It's equally as likely that his parents didn't take him to the doctors regularly, without the need to blame socialism.

reply to post by hippomchippo


Why wouldn't you take a young child to the doctor? It's free? Right? Diabetes doesn't have a rapid onset... It's a slow, silent killer... Unless you do some simple blood tests... Then it's quite manageable... Louis could have lived a long and productive life, but instead, despite the free healthcare environment he lived in, he died a miserable an unnecessary death.

Sounds like the emperor doctor has no clothes.

reply to post by Grey Magic


Along with the parent(s) losing the ability to keep children!

What a terrible shame....his parents should take the blame for his diabetes. I mean how much sugar did he have to rapidly develop diabetes ? Its such a waste of a young life. And the doctors what on earth were they playing at ? RIP

reply to post by Mirthful Me


I know you are a mod, but wow what a stretch! How do you know why his parents did not take him to the doctor? It being free does not mean everyone uses it.

Utterly disgusting to use a tragedy for your own political ends

[edit on 22-4-2010 by InvisibleAlbatross]

reply to post by InvisibleAlbatross


Why not? Why wouldn't you use something that was free... Not to mention might save your son's life? All we have heard from the liberals here in the states is how "millions" are dying because they can't afford insurance/healthcare... Yet here is a case of it being free, and it was denied, and not used.

You know what would happen in the states if a doctor tried to give an over the phone emergency consultation for a hangnail? You'd have line of blood sucking lawyers from the Hamptons to the Caribbean.... And at every country club in between. You can't provide healthcare over the phone in an emergency.

Originally posted by Mirthful Me
reply to post by hippomchippo

 

Why wouldn't you take a young child to the doctor? It's free? Right? Diabetes doesn't have a rapid onset... It's a slow, silent killer... Unless you do some simple blood tests... Then it's quite manageable... Louis could have lived a long and productive life, but instead, despite the free healthcare environment he lived in, he died a miserable an unnecessary death.

Sounds like the emperor doctor has no clothes.

Perhaps because of transportation issues? There are many reasons, I just don't see why you need to bring in socialism when the problem here is the response given by the ambulance service, it's despicable that you're using this childs death to insult a socialist health care, when the problem is clearly neglect by PEOPLE running the ambulance.

[edit on 22-4-2010 by hippomchippo]

reply to post by Mirthful Me


There are plenty of parents who do not take their kids to the doctor, even when it is free. Often they have a twisted view that God says they cannot use medicine.

reply to post by Mirthful Me


It always breaks my heart to hear when children are involved in these types of situations. I wont comment on Socialized medicine. I'm aiming this one at the parents.


Why didn't you get off your butts and take the kid IN?!

Originally posted by hippomchippo
Perhaps because of transportation issues? There are many reasons, I just don't see why you need to bring in socialism when the problem here is the response given by the ambulance service, it's despicable that you're using this childs death to insult a socialist health care, when the problem is clearly neglect by PEOPLE running the ambulance.

There is no mention of transportation issues. The reason I brought the failure that is socialized medicine into the discussion is that I have been assured by Obama, Pelosi, reed, and every liberal pundit that all we need is socialized medicine and the world will be perfect. It's a sham. In the real world with private payers, this would not have happened. You call an ambulance, you get an ambulance. You go to the ER, you are triaged by a real human being right there in front of you... Not some ridiculous over the phone farce.

The people of the UK should be outraged over how they are being mistreated... You can bet their US counterparts will when they finally realize what kind of bargin they struck with the Devil... Unfortunately it will be too late...

reply to post by hippomchippo


Good analysis. I have diabetes. I also have had kidney failure and currently, with my kidney transplant, it is failing, too. No, I'm not a doctor nor an expert, but when one is treated for kidney failure and diabetes, and sits in waiting rooms for hours at times, fellow patients do talk to one another. Kidney failure due to diabetes doesn't happen overnight.

Why didn't the kid's parents take action and demand action much earlier in this child's disease?

But. And there is usually a "but". Why did those who are "experts" fail this child and his family?

I'm not entirely sure how the system is set up over there, and so I don't understand how a 999 operator is in the position to diagnose anything.

Over here, a doctor wouldn't even diagnose over the phone in that situation.

However, to play devil's advocate, if the kid had missed "days" of school with blinding headaches and fatigue, and only when his condition began to "deteriorate rapidly over the weekend" did his parents react, well, the parents have to shoulder a bit of the blame.

Originally posted by InvisibleAlbatross
There are plenty of parents who do not take their kids to the doctor, even when it is free. Often they have a twisted view that God says they cannot use medicine.

There is no indication that religion was an impediment to Louis Austin's care... They did try to obtain emergent care, and they did administer the erroneously prescribed Tamiflu... I don't think that was the issue here, or why such an egregious system failure occurred.

reply to post by hippomchippo


No the issue is not really with the service providers, it really is with the parents of the child. The article clearly states the boy began to rapidly deteriorate on the weekend before they called for some help. But for example if the call sounded anything like this 911: "911 please state your emergency" Caller" umm my son is sick, very sick we need some help" 911" o.k can you describe the sickness,is there any blood.?" caller" no blood no but he has been having headaches and been very tired , we have kept him home from school all week because of it." 911"has he seen the doctor?" caller" no we don't have insurance" 911" no problem, health care is free here, is this really an emergency or can you take him to the doctor's office?" caller"yes we could take him but we don't have a car" 911" it does not sound like you need an ambulance but I will transfer you to Urgent Care and they will help you ok?" caller "ok thank you"