Family of Murdered Patient Wins Damages

The family of an elderly patient who died of an insulin overdose administered by a hospital nurse has been awarded almost £50,000 in compensation.

Doris Ludlam, 80, was one of four elderly patients who were given lethal injections of insulin by nurse Colin Norris, who is now serving a jail sentence for the murders.

Doctors became suspicious when one of the patients went into a hypoglycaemic coma despite not being a diabetic. Blood tests revealed insulin levels that were 12 times the normal amount and the woman subsequently died.

The Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust accepted responsibility for Mrs Ludlam’s death and agreed to pay her family compensation of £47,500. The Trust also apologised for the distress caused to the family and for the systems failures that had allowed the nurse access to potentially lethal drugs without challenge.

Mrs Ludlam’s widower, Walter, 94, suffers from dementia and the money will be used to pay for his care.

The families of Mr Norris’s other victims are also pursuing compensation claims, but Mrs Ludlam’s case is the first to be formally agreed.

Fortunately, cases of this kind are rare. In this instance, the hospital clearly failed to supervise its staff adequately and have in place the appropriate systems and checks that would have prevented unauthorised access to potentially dangerous drugs.