Grandmother’s death at Heartlands Hospital ruled avoidable after missed diagnosis
Ombudsman finds failings in bowel obstruction case as family say they were ignored during treatment
An investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has found the death of a 76-year-old grandmother at Heartlands Hospital was avoidable.
Sevinc Ulkueri died after doctors missed repeated warning signs of a bowel obstruction and she was unable to properly communicate her worsening pain because no interpreter was provided.
The Ombudsman concluded that earlier diagnosis and treatment would likely have saved her life.
Speaking to us, her daughter Seniz Greenhalgh said her mother was admitted to Birmingham Heartlands Hospital on March 1 with severe abdominal pain, vomiting and constipation.
She said she believes early warning signs were missed in A&E.
“She had every sign of bowel obstruction, but it was overruled in A&E at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital,” she said.
“She was put onto a Covid ward and treated for suspected pneumonia, even though she never had Covid.”
She said her mother’s condition worsened over several days before scans revealed severe complications.
“Only later did they realise there was gas coming from her abdominal cavity. By then her bowel had perforated. It was too late.”
Sevinc later developed sepsis and died in hospital on March 10.
Her daughter said the family repeatedly raised concerns during her care but felt they were ignored.
“We were constantly dismissed. I called the hospital daily trying to explain her abdominal pain and symptoms, but we were told it had nothing to do with what she was eating,” she said.
“My sister was going in every day trying to get answers. We were completely helpless.”
She also said communication barriers played a major role in her mother’s care.
“My mother had very limited English. We were not provided with an interpreter and we were not listened to,” she said.
The Ombudsman found the Trust missed several opportunities to diagnose the bowel obstruction and failed to act on early warning signs.
Sevinc’s daughter said learning her mother’s death was avoidable had left the family devastated.
“It’s unforgivable. My mother went into hospital with a stomach ache and never came home,” she said.
“It still doesn’t feel real. We still talk about her every day. The grief doesn’t go away.”
She added that no family should have to go through similar circumstances.
Looking ahead, she called for improvements in diagnosis and communication in urgent care.
“First, there must be proper access to translators,” she said. “Secondly, doctors must go back to the original symptoms and not dismiss them.”
“Bowel obstruction can be fatal within hours. It has to be treated urgently.”
A spokesperson for University Hospitals Birmingham said they offered their condolences and were committed to learning from the case.
“We would like to express our sincere condolences to Mrs Ulkueri’s family for their loss and are sorry for the circumstances that led to her death in 2021,” they said.
“We remain committed to learning from this incident to reduce the risk of such events happening again and to ensure patients receive safe, timely, inclusive and compassionate care at all times.”