£1.3m fine for Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust for safety failings linked to two deaths
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has been fined more than £1.3m for safety failings, which resulted in two deaths.
The charges were brought against the trust by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
The trust admitted the charges through its barrister at Telford Magistrates’ Court this morning.
They relate to the deaths of 31-year-old Mohammed Ismael Zaman and 83-year-old Max Dingle.
Mr Zaman died after suffering severe blood loss while undergoing dialysis in October 2019, whilst Mr Dingle died in May 2020 after his head became trapped between a bed rail and a mattress.
The judge imposed a fine of £800,000 on one of two charges relating to the death of Mr Zaman, and an additional £533,334 over a charge brought in relation to the death of Mr Dingle. The trust was also ordered to pay £42,378.51 in costs.
Passing the sentence Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring said the families of the two patients who died at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital had suffered "unimaginable grief".
In a statement, The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said:
“Following today’s court proceedings, where the Trust accepted full responsibility and pleaded guilty to the three charges brought against us, we offer our sincere apologies and heartfelt condolences to the families we let down.
“We are truly sorry for the pain and distress caused as a result of the failures in the provision of care.
“A series of immediate actions were implemented following internal investigations and external review to ensure that steps were taken to address the failings, which has been recognised in the judgement today.
“On behalf of the Trust, I want to stress again how sorry we are for the pain and distress caused to the families and we commit to continue to improve the quality of care we provide.”
