Mrs F, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, diabetes and other health conditions, was admitted to Croydon Health Services NHS Trust with an ulcer on her foot and pain in her leg. Tests revealed that the main artery in her leg had narrowed and an angioplasty (the insertion of a balloon to open up the artery) was planned. Before this could take place Mrs F developed a blood clot, which blocked the blood supply to the lower part of her leg. Mrs F had surgery to remove the clot, but no action was taken to prevent a recurrence and her blood supply became blocked again within days.

The clot meant Mrs F had insufficient blood supply to her leg and doctors decided to amputate her leg above the knee. When the operation was carried out, the surgical drain was stitched into her wound by mistake and had to be removed under general anaesthetic.

Mrs F’s daughter complained to us that the delays in arranging treatment for her mother led to the amputation. She told us that Mrs F is now housebound and cannot drive and the costs of her care are rising. Her family are picking up the emotional and financial costs of what went wrong, causing significant distress to them all.

We found a lack of urgency in arranging investigations into and treatment of Mrs F’s condition. We concluded that it was probable that the failure to take appropriate action after the blood clot was removed led to the need for amputation.

Following our investigation, the Trust apologised to Mrs F and her daughter and paid them compensation of £75,000. They also prepared an action plan to prevent mistakes like this happening again.