A whistleblowing nurse who tried to prevent a patient being given medication to which he was allergic has claimed bosses tried to blame him for the man’s death.
Mental health expert Stephen McLaughlin, 42, has called for an independent inquiry into how Edward McCluskey, 88, died after being given seven penicillin doses.
Medical staff gave the medicine to the great-grandad despite his family informing carers it could make him ill.
Stephen is also an emergency response lecturer and teaches nurses and doctors how to spot allergies. He claims his reputation as a health professional was damaged by health board leaders and was warned he could lose his job if he contacted Edward’s family about the care he got.
Edward was given seven doses of penicillin and died in agony weeks later after suffering a painful rash which his loved ones believe also affected his internal organs.
They fought for answers but said they hit a brick wall and believed there was a cover-up.
The great-grandad, who suffered dementia, was taken into the Inverclyde Royal Hospital’s Larkfield Unit for elderly mental health in Greenock on December 22, 2016. He was diagnosed with a urine infection and prescribed an antibiotic on December 28.
Stephen claims he questioned whether Edward had an allergy then refused to give the medication and called a doctor.
But the doctor is alleged to have failed to check his Kardex (a desktop file system that gives a brief overview of each patient) and was unaware of the allergy....
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