December 2005

The widow of a keen footballer who died of heart failure on the football pitch has won undisclosed damages against Southend Hospital NHS Trust. Edward Patten from Southend-on-Sea in Essex died on 23rd March 2002, a few days before his 53rd Birthday during an amateur match for his team Westcliff Football Club. His son Ben (aged 15 at the time) was playing in the match when his father died.

Clinical negligent specialist Julian Wilson from Essex solicitors Thompson Smith & Puxon, acting for Mr Patten’s widow, Chris Patten, issued proceedings against Southend Hospital which have been settled out of court. Despite a number of tests and consultations at the hospital, the full nature of a heart condition Mr Patten had was never diagnosed and treatment that would have saved his life was never given.

In 1991 Mr Patten, a financial adviser, had passed out but x-rays and examinations had not diagnosed a problem. Seven years later in 1998 he had chest pains and following tests was diagnosed with hyper trophic cardio myopathy, a thickening of the walls of the heart.  However Mr Patten was not advised by consultants at SouthendHospital to refrain from further sport and further investigations into the seriousness of the heart condition, which would eventually kill him, were never made.

“This was a tragic case and Mr Patten should have been stopped from doing further sport and should have had his condition investigated further at the time. The claim against SouthendHospital has now been settled”, said Julian Wilson, Clinical Negligence specialist at Thompson Smith & Puxon.

In a letter to Chris Patten the chief executive of Southend Hospital NHS Trust, David Brackenbury, has apologised unreservedly for the failures in treatment by hospital doctors.

Edward Patten ran Great Wakering Rovers Junior Football under 16s team and the family lived in Shoeburyness at the time. His widow Chris has now moved to Romford.