A BARNSLEY Hospital patient bled to death following the 'gross failure' of a doctor to give her a life-saving blood transfusion until it was too late.
Andrea Green, 42, died 14 hours after routine surgery for her back pain which may have been unnecessary in the first place, an inquest heard.
Consultant surgeon Hany Ismaiel accidentally cut an artery during the operation and subsequent internal bleeding wasn't picked up by staff.
Locum senior house officer Dr Oluwatosin Taiwo, who trained in Nigeria, failed to act 'promptly and efficiently' to give her a transfusion, according to a coroner.
The medic knew Miss Green had suffered a 'massive blood loss' but instead of giving her the transfusion when blood became ready, he called for more tests.
Assistant coroner Siobhan Kelly, in delivering her findings, said: "It was a gross failure of basic medical attention for the doctor not to ensure the blood transfusion took place as soon as possible.
"Had he done so Andrea Green would have lived."
In a narrative verdict, Ms Kelly said neglect contributed to Miss Green's death in March 2010 in that the transfusion should have been given sooner.
Dr Taiwo had only been working at the hospital for a week-and-a-half and did not have full orthopaedic experience. He no longer works there.
The coroner said after receiving a low haemoglobin reading he 'should have been pushing every panic button available'.
Miss Green, of Newman Avenue, Carlton, went into cardiac arrest and it was too late to save her life.
Her death came just weeks after consultants in the orthopaedic department warned management of the 'grave risks' to patient safety because of staffing levels.
But the coroner ruled the breakdown in relations had no effect on the care given to Miss Green.
"The errors which led to Andrea Green's death arose because of personal errors and not as a result of any systems failure.
"I cannot find that the actions of any of the clinicians was so bad that it amounted to a criminal act or omission deserving of punishment."
Miss Green's family have already settled out of court with the hospital's trust for a six-figure sum for medical negligence.
Afterwards Andrew Harrison, of Raleys Solicitors, said: "We would expect the General Medical Council to look at this case further to ensure no-one else has to go through an ordeal like this."
A Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust spokesman apologised to the family for the 'deficiencies in care' which contributed to Miss Green's death.
"The trust has sought to learn appropriate lessons to ensure that such a tragic event never happens again," he said.
