The family of a woman who died aged 23 from a blood clot that went undiagnosed for five years say she was “badly let down” by the NHS after clinicians failed to take her health complaints seriously.
Georgina Furniss from Derby, who was known as Georgie, was “the golden heart of our family,” said her mother Anouska, following the conclusion of a fatal medical negligence claim.
She was the one that was always there for everyone, but she was failed by doctors. There was a constant circle of no-one listening; it’s been soul destroying.
From the age of 18 Georgie suffered repeated and debilitating episodes of chest and leg pains, breathlessness and fainting. Despite visits to hospital and her GP starting in 2016, she was told her symptoms were due to anxiety, musculoskeletal issues, asthma and chest infections.
In 2021 Georgie collapsed at home and was rushed to hospital where she died the next day. “I begged them on at least two occasions to look into more,” said her mother, who accompanied her daughter to NHS appointments:
I was so worried, but they weren’t interested. Georgie would be with us today is she had been diagnosed properly. It’s had a devastating effect on the family.
The family were represented at Inquest and in their medical negligence claim against University Hospitals of Derby & Burton NHS Foundation Trust by Hudgell Solicitors.
Senior associate solicitor Matthew Gascoyne said the Trust had failed to act upon Georgie’s continued health problems and failed to investigate:
Had Georgie been diagnosed promptly she would have avoided five years of pain and anxiety. But for the negligence she would also have had a normal life expectancy.
Georgie was simply not listened to about her symptoms and her concerns were dismissed. In addition, relevant test results were ignored.
It is a tragic case of a patient and their family knowing they were ill, their symptoms worsening and their quality of life being affected, but the medical professionals who Georgie and her family repeatedly turned to failed to investigate.
Georgie’s health began to seriously deteriorate in 2020 and although she continued to work as a store assistant at Aldi, she was often unable to go to the gym and walk distances.
In April 2021 she attended A&E complaining of vomiting and aching legs and in June of the same year she contacted her out-of-hours GP due to back and chest pains, but a blood clot – a pulmonary embolism – was never investigated. Her mother Anouska said:
She was misdiagnosed over and over again. I believe the doctors missed it, either because they weren’t doing their job properly, or because of a lack of awareness.
Georgie’s father died of a rare heart condition that Georgie had similar symptoms to which we told them about, but this was not investigated and we didn’t feel listened to.
When Georgie collapsed at home and was taken to the Royal Derby Hospital a bilateral saddle pulmonary emboli was then diagnosed – a life-threatening condition characterized by a large blood clot that obstructs blood flow to both lungs. Georgie died the next day.
An inquest into Georgie’s death in June 2023 heard that had a scan been carried out in 2016 when she first attended the Ambulatory Care Centre at the Royal Derby Hospital the clot would have been spotted, treatment would have commenced, and her death would probably have been avoided. The coroner reached the following narrative conclusion:
Georgie died due to the effects of repeated pulmonary emboli from at least September 2016.
Why she experienced pulmonary emboli is unclear. Her death was contributed to by omissions in medical care and treatment. Had those omissions not occurred it is probable that Georgie would not have died when she did.
Ahead of the inquest into her death, University Hospitals of Derby & Burton NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability saying:
“It is admitted that had a ventilation-perfusion scan been carried out during Miss Furniss’ attendance to the Ambulatory Care Centre in September 2016, on a balance of probabilities it would likely have shown features consistent with a Pulmonary Embolism and with appropriate treatment, on a balance of probabilities, she would not have died when she did.”
The Trust said not carrying out a scan on Georgie was a breach of duty; it has now apologised to her family and in an out of court settlement a six-figure compensation award was agreed for their loss.
The NHS’ own advice and guidance describes a pulmonary embolism as: “a blood clot blocking a blood vessel in your lungs. It can be life-threatening if not treated quickly.
“Symptoms include difficulty breathing, chest pain that’s worse when you breathe in, coughing up blood. You may also have pain, redness and swelling in one of your legs (usually the calf). You should make a full recovery from a pulmonary embolism if it’s spotted and treated early.”
Mr Gascoyne says medical staff failed to act on test results in 2016 when Georgie attended hospital.
She had a blood test to rule out a blood clot which was above the relevant threshold. Now, it was only slightly above, but the relevant guidance is that anything above that threshold should be investigated further.
The hospital failed to follow the straight-forward guidance and do the relevant tests that would have diagnosed her problem. Her death at the age of 23 was wholly preventable and the Trust recognised that; its early admissions of liability were welcomed.
It has been an honour to represent Georgie’s family at inquest and in the subsequent negligence claim; they have shown enormous strength to ensure that the truth of what happened to their daughter, sister and partner has prevailed.
Her family say they wish to raise awareness of Georgie’s case to prevent other “needless” deaths. Her mother Anouska said:
Georgie loved family time and would organise outings together. She loved Christmas, hot chocolate evenings and family barbecues and she doted on her nephew and would love to enjoy new adventures with him. Brooklyn says she is his aunty Georgie who lives on the moon.
She was all the joy in the world to us. Georgie made me feel whole. From the moment she was born I fell in love with her. She was the most beautiful baby. She bought so much love, joy and happiness into our lives. Even in times when tragedy struck our family, she was the one that would be strong and helped to hold our family together. Georgie really did have a golden heart, and I miss her so, so much.
If raising awareness can save one life it will be worth it.
Georgie’s sister Charlotte and brother Billy described her as not only a sister but a best friend too.
Georgie was a breath of fresh air, fun, funny, had the best sense of humour, and was kind, smart and beautiful.
Georgie was amazing, not a better sister anyone could have, she was a gem of an angel, she was my second mum always looking after me. I will miss her forever and always she is my beautiful sister.
Copyright: 2024. Hudgell Solicitors /Family of Georgina Furniss. All rights reserved. The contents of this article requires authorization for use.
Compensation for deaths due to medical negligence
The sudden, unexpected or untimely loss of a loved can be devastating and we represent many families where the death was preventable. We understand how traumatic this can be and pride ourselves in supporting our clients through difficult times.
Our lawyers are highly-experienced in investigating errors responsible for such deaths and securing justice. Mistakes by medical staff can include, but are not limited to:
- Misdiagnosis
- Delayed diagnosis (such as cancer)
- Surgical errors
If the loss of your loved one could have been prevented if medical staff had not made mistakes, you may be entitled to compensation.
Learn more: Experts in Fatal Medical Negligence Claims
