A teenage girl yesterday told how she feared she would need her right leg amputated after doctors allegedly failed to treat her properly following a freak accident.
Sophie Jackson, 19, broke her ankle after tripping over a pothole but says a lack of care has caused her to contract an infection which has eaten down to the bone.
Following months of trips back and forth to Colchester General Hospital, Essex, she claims she’s finally been sent home with two weeks worth of antibiotics and told to “wait and see what happens” while she faces the possibility of losing her leg.
Social worker Sophie said: “The infection is so bad and has been bad for so long, that there is a chance that I might have to have my leg amputated, which is really worrying.
“It is a horrible thing for anyone to have to go through, never mind at 19, and the hospital haven’t even admitted it is their fault.
“It is frustrating. I wish they had listened to me. I should be back on my feet now if they had just dealt with it from the beginning.
“I feel like they couldn’t care less. Chopping my leg off is just another option to them, it’s massive to me.”
Sophie injured herself in March and had her ankle put into a cast after going straight to hospital.
But when she returned to the hospital a week later, doctors told her she needed surgery to insert a number of pins into her leg.
However just days after the surgery, one of the pins snapped resulting in her needing further surgery to remove the debris.
“I would go to A&E and they would refuse to do anything. Now, the wound is still weeping with pus but because the infection is so deep, they can’t close it and have had to leave it open.
“I have been in theatre three times in a week, for them to deep clean the wound.”
Sophie claims that by the time a locum A&E consultant spotted the signs of infection, she had to be immediately admitted to hospital for two weeks for IV antibiotics to be administered.
She has now been sent home despite the wound causing her constant pain and the need for medication, including tramadol, however doctors have warned her she may have to have the limb amputated if it does not heal.
“It’s one of the worst things to be told,” she said. “Especially as they’ve just sent me to home to worry.
“I’m young and before this I was always out having fun and working hard. Now I can’t do any of that.
“I live on my own so even basic tasks are hard work and I’m faced with the prospect that it might get so much harder.
“I just wish the doctors had listened to me and taken a little more time to make sure I was given the right treatment.”
Sophie has made an official complaint against Colchester General, which is being dealt with by the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).
A spokesman for Colchester General Hospital said: “We are disappointed and sorry that Miss Jackson has concerns about the care we have been providing because our aim is to be at our best for all patients at all times.
“She phoned our Patient Advice and Liaison Service on Tuesday, June 28, and two days later came to Colchester General Hospital with family members to discuss her concerns with PALS.
“At that meeting, it was agreed that the Trust would treat this matter as a formal complaint.
“We will carry out a full and thorough investigation, and then report back to Miss Jackson.”
