‘How can this happen?’: Family of stroke victim feel ‘let down’ by Chesterfield Royal Hospital

Pauline Snell’s son-in-law, Steven Ashton, said he told staff at the Royal on Sunday that he believed she was suffering a stroke while in the hospital as she was struggling to speak.

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He said staff told him they believed an infection was to blame – but hours later they phoned the family to say she had suffered a stroke.

Pauline, 78, remains ill in the Royal, where she is having to be fed by staff.

Mr Ashton told the Derbyshire Times: “She was admitted to Chesterfield Royal Hospital last Thursday night with an infection.

“On Sunday night she phoned my son struggling to speak so we contacted the hospital and told them that we thought she was having a stroke.

“But they told me she was not having a stroke – they put it down to the infection.

“I told them that as a survivor of a stroke we know the signs – but yet again I was told it wasn't a stroke.

“Then on Monday at around 2.10am I received a phone call from the hospital saying that she had had a stroke.

“She has lost speech and has weakness on her right side. She is also having to be fed by staff.

“How can this happen? We told the hospital she was having a stroke.

“This is so disgusting. We feel let down by the hospital and have lodged a complaint."

A Chesterfield Royal Hospital spokesperson said: “Our intention is to provide every one of our patients with the exceptional care that they expect. As such, it is always disappointing to hear about occasions when a patient or relative feels that the trust has fallen short of that level of care.

“We always strive to work closely with the patients’ families, to include them in that care, realising that they know the individual and have a level if insight into how their health is changing. There is strong value in the way they understand the patient and how that can help to support their care and treatment plan.

“We are sorry that Steven has felt let down by the level of care given to Pauline and our clinical teams would welcome the opportunity to speak with him and his family to discuss their recent experiences.”

Stroke fact file

A stroke is a serious life-threatening medical condition which happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.

The main symptoms of stroke can be remembered with the word FAST:

Face – the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have dropped

Arms – the person with suspected stroke may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in one arm.

Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake, and they may also have problems understanding what you're saying to them.

Time – it's time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms.

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