Published: Wednesday, 9th July, 2008 10:00
I’ll sue over mum’s death
By Andrew Gibson
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SON: Brian Gaughan whose mother Margaret died in the Vale in March
A grieving son has begun legal action against the NHS for medical negligence, after his mother contracted a killer superbug and died in hospital.
Margaret Gaughan, from Old Kilpatrick, is one of more than 20 people who caught C-difficile — also known as C-diff — and died in the outbreak at the Vale of Leven Hospital.
Brian Gaughan, who lived with his mother, was shocked to hear she was going to die after being told a few weeks earlier she would be returning home after seemingly recovering from a chest infection.
Margaret, who was 87 when she passed away, was admitted to the hospital on January 1 after suffering from breathing difficulties.
While the grandmother seemed to be on the mend, things took a turn for the worse when she contracted pneumonia and then C-diff.
Margaret caught C-diff five weeks before she died and it is listed on her death certificate as a contributory factor to her tragic demise.
Brian, who lived with and cared for his mother for many years,
has decided to take legal action as he feels she was treated unfairly.
He said: “It was such a devastating announcement for me to be told she wasn’t coming home when I was earlier told she was.”
Brian’s announcement came as a number of other families affected by the outbreak at the Vale announced they were taking a joint legal action against NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GGC).
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