Overview
- Marianne Mortemore, 69, died days after a February 2024 stay at University Hospital of North Durham, where she went into cardiac arrest and was later transferred to Sunderland Royal Hospital.
- Her family says staff gave her another patient’s penicillin despite clear allergy warnings on her bracelets, wristband, notes, and the bedside board.
- Clinicians missed critical limb ischaemia, which blocks blood flow to a limb, until a podiatry visit requested by the family led to a scan and a delayed transfer for vascular care.
- Relatives describe basic care failures over six days, including no pillow, a makeshift bed in the middle of a ward, late medications, and a catheter attempt that left her screaming while a nurse greeted friends.
- The trust has apologized and cited a breakdown in communication for delays, while the family has instructed Slater and Gordon’s John Lowther, adding pressure on a trust already under national review for its breast cancer service.