A "gentle, kind and loving" man died from a blood clot two weeks after spraining his ankle while walking his dog. Callum Jones, 27, collapsed at home days after slipping on a footbridge and injuring his ankle at Loggerheads Country Park near Mold on October 3 last year.
Mr Jones was out walking with his family and their pets at the park on a rainy day when the dog he was walking tugged on the lead, causing him to slip on a wooden footbridge. After initially being diagnosed with a fractured ankle, he later became breathless and developed pains in his shoulder and chest before collapsing and dying in hospital on October 18.
An inquest into Mr Jones' death held on Tuesday, June 7 in Ruthin heard that the circumstances could have been different if he had had a face-to-face meeting with a doctor rather than a telephone consultation, North Wales Live reports. Following his initial diagnosis, the 27-year-old was given a protective 'moon boot', a fact not known to his GP, who he later spoke to over the phone rather than in person.
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The inquest heard that after hurting his right ankle by slipping on the bridge, Mr Jones, of Maes Pinwydd in Ewloe, went to Holywell Community Hospital, before later going to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan, where he was diagnosed with a fractured ankle. It was here where he was given the plastic protective boot, as well as crutches.
On October 11, he went back for an appointment at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd where the diagnosis was changed to badly-sprained ligaments and tendons. However, just two days later, he became breathless and developed pains in his shoulder and chest.
A couple of days later on October 15, Mr Jones rang Shotton Lane surgery in Shotton, Deeside for a telephone consultation with his GP, Dr Chris Murphy. The inquest heard that, during their nine-minute conversation, Dr Murphy diagnosed Mr Jones with "pleuritic pain" from pleurisy, the inflammation of the lining between the lungs and ribcage.
On October 17, Mr Jones collapsed at home in Ewloe and was taken to the Countess of Chester Hospital in Chester where, despite the best efforts of medics, he died early the next morning. A post-mortem examination found that he died from a pulmonary embolism as a result of immobility as a result of a sprained ligament from a fall.
Dr Murphy, who said he had been in "complete shock" on learning that Mr Jones had died, told the inquest that he was not aware the 27-year-old was wearing an ankle boot when they spoke over the phone. Asked by the coroner if he would have considered an alternative diagnosis if he had seen the boot in a face-to-face meeting, he said he would have.
The inquest heard that Mr Jones' discharge letter from Ysbyty Glan Clwyd only arrived at the GP surgery until a "couple of weeks" after his death. Dr Murphy said that while there are now "a lot more face to face appointments in the afternoon" it is still a pre-eminently telephone triage service, adding: "The communication between primary and secondary care is a constant thorn in our side."
John Gittins, Senior Coroner for North Wales East and Central, concluded that the death was due to an accident. However, he added that he would contact Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board for an explanation of how long it takes for discharge letters to be sent out.
He said: "I am concerned when Dr Murphy says it's not unusual when it's some weeks after when we have the discharge letter. I will be asking the health board to report to me in three weeks to explain the length of time it takes currently for discharge letters." Mr Gittins added that if he finds that the time frame represents a risk to other patients, he would then be obliged to make a Regulation 28 ruling to prevent future deaths.
Mr Jones' mother Kim Jones had previously paid tribute to her son, a deputy retail manager at the Card Factory in Broughton retail park, describing him a "gentle boy, kind and loving". Following the inquest, she said: "He could have been saved if he had been seen in person."
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