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NHS to pay damages to family of Dartford mum Sian Hollands who died after leaving Darent Valley Hospital

A health trust has agreed to pay damages to the family of a mum-of-three who died just hours after being incorrectly discharged.

Sian Hollands, of Dartford, went into cardiac arrest after consultants at Darent Valley Hospital failed to identify the signs of a blood clot.

Sian with daughter Marne
Sian with daughter Marne

The 25-year-old was admitted to A&E on November 14, 2015 after suffering from chest pains, abdominal pains, and shortness of breath.

It came just weeks after she had been released from prison and had suffered an ectopic pregnancy.

The mum-of three was a recovering drug addict on a methadone programme but was incorrectly discharged the next day for heroin withdrawal and later collapsed in the hospital corridor.

Last month, a claim for damages brought by her mum, Nicola Smith, was approved in the High Court, more than four years after her death.

Speaking after the decision, the 49-year-old Erith resident said: "They have got to be honest with families."

The last photo taken of Sian, enjoying a family party the weekend before she died, with son Roman.
The last photo taken of Sian, enjoying a family party the weekend before she died, with son Roman.

"When I asked them originally what happened, they closed ranks. It was not until I got through to the chief executive and chief nurse that they were honest and understanding.

"I have fought so much to get answers. How many other families have been in my situation and accepted that and walked away?"

In 2017, a coroner said Miss Hollands, who lived in Priory Hill, Dartford, probably would have survived had she received proper treatment.

The inquest heard staff had missed a number of opportunities to correctly diagnose a pulmonary embolism, a clot preventing blood reaching the lungs.

One of the doctors later admitted he was not aware of chest pain complaints, which he acknowledged "would have made all the difference”.

Miss Smith now hopes lessons can be learnt from her daughter's preventable death.

Sian Hollands died in 2015 after being sent home from the hospital
Sian Hollands died in 2015 after being sent home from the hospital

She has worked with the hospital to release a staff training video urging staff to take a less judgmental approach when dealing with patients.

In the clip she explains: "Sian instantly, on arrival, told the staff she was an ex-drug addict but was clean. That was the biggest mistake she made that weekend."

More videos will be filmed with the grandmother by the NHS later this year aimed at educating young doctors before they get "set in their ways".

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust has agreed to provide a bench at the hospital in Sian’s memory to commemorate what would have been her 30th birthday next month.

The family will also receive an undisclosed financial compensation, to be held for Sian's three children aged 14, 10 and seven, but Miss Smith stressed this was not important.

"It is not about the money, it is about what we are doing," she said. "I would like to see a change and I believe they [the Trust] are trying now.

"They are still trying to get things right but it is vital they are honest – only time will tell.

"I am 50 this year and I'm bringing up my daughter's children. It has been a long battle and when it finished I felt like I had hit a brick wall."

Miss Smith added she hopes to move the children to another area of Kent next year to make a fresh start.

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