Bupa Employee Dies in Hospital

Bupa are a health insurance provider with an excellent reputation. However seven years ago a routine kidney stone removal operation that went drastically wrong leaves two Bupa consultants with a tarnished reputation.

The incident where Carmel Bloom, a 54 year old Bupa employee died following a routine kidney stone operation is currently being investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC). Her family have been fighting for seven years to gain justice for the alleged medical blunders.

Jeremy Donne QC, for the GMC, said:

'This hearing is concerned with events that led to the tragic and we say avoidable death of a slim, fit and otherwise healthy 54-year-old woman following a urological procedure performed by John Hines with anaesthesia carried out by Dr Paul Timmis. The result of these serial failures was catastrophic.'

The then Bupa hospital where Ms Bloom was treated is now in the Spire chain.

Ms Bloom worked as a health controller in the Roding Hospital in Ilford, and decided to have her operation with Bupa when she was advised that she would be waiting a long time on an NHS waiting list. She suffered a heart attack and brain damage and died of septic shock ten days later.

Consultant John Hines is accused of failing to test for infections prior to the operation. Ms Bloom did have an infection which went undetected and caused complications. Mr Hines was unable to complete the operation and is alleged to have failed to ensure she was given appropriate medication after the operation. When he was told of Ms Blooms deterioration he delayed in returning to the hospital.

Mr Timmis is accused of not preparing Ms Bloom for her journey in an ambulance when she had to be moved to a larger hospital following her complications.

Last month Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, Bupa's medical director said:

'We sympathise with Carmel Bloom's family for their tragic loss - however, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on her treatment as we no longer own the hospital concerned.'