Staff competent

A senior nurse at Surgical Solutions Inc. on Monday admitted that while the company had the necessary staff and facilities to deal with emergencies, it did not have access to a 24-hour ambulance service.

That was the evidence given by Jasmine Durant when the Coroner’s Inquest into the death of Warren Mottley continued in the Supreme Court.

Mottley, the brother of Prime Minister Mia Mottley, died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) on June 29, 2021, from sepsis.

Durant, a nurse supervisor at Surgical Solutions, revealed to the court that she was the person who called an ambulance for Mottley on June 27, while he was still a patient at that medical institution.

She said she only did so out of an abundance of caution as she did not categorise Mottley’s condition as an emergency.

Durant said she received an update on his condition via a phone call in which she learned he had been experiencing low blood pressures at “minutes to 9” that morning.

She said because of the fact that there were only two public ambulances, she made a call to Island Care Ambulance, while on her way to work, as a precautionary measure so that it would be on standby in the event Mottley’s condition deteriorated.

The nurse said after running some errands, she made her way to the office, went to the recovery room and spoke to Mottley.

Durant said there was a “mix up” at Island Care, and she learnt that ambulances were not available until 9:30 a.m.

The nurse supervisor said after she was eventually told that the ambulance was not available, she made numerous calls, including to Medic Response at the Bayview Hospital, to secure an ambulance but to no avail.

Durant said while it was not the practice of ambulances from the QEH to transport patients from private facilities, one of the doctors at Surgical Solutions reached out to a doctor at the public hospital and “asked a favour”.

She said at that time, Mottley was “up and talking” and she saw no need to transport him in a personal vehicle to the QEH.

Under cross-examination by attorney-at-law Faye Finisterre, Durant said Surgical Solutions did not have around-the-clock access to an ambulance.

She said the usual practice was to wait until an ambulance was available.

However, she maintained the institution had capable staff and medical resources to “manage any patient” until an ambulance was available.

“If there is an emergency, we will manage the patient at Surgical Solutions until the ambulance arrives,” she said.

Also taking the stand was Dr Keanna Bhola, a doctor employed by Surgical Solutions.

She told the court she was a general practitioner and a Senior House Officer and had been involved in Mottley’s care.

Dr Bhola recalled that she had performed a COVID-19 test on Mottley and reviewed him prior to his surgery, including conducting an abdominal examination.

She said Mottley complained of abdominal pain after having a colonoscopy done at Surgical Solutions five days prior.However, the doctor said she was not involved in that procedure.

Dr Bhola said she was on the “periphery” of that operation and Mottley was in stable condition when her shift ended at 10 p.m.

She told the court she received a phone call the next morning telling her to return to work because Mottley needed to be transferred to the QEH.

She said she did not recall if she was told of his condition at that time.

Dr Bhola said when she got to the office her superiors were already there.

She said she believed Mottley could have been transferred before she arrived.

Dr Bhola said that along with a nurse, they accompanied Mottley to the QEH in the back of the ambulance.

She said when the ambulance reached the hospital, Mottley’s blood pressure was low.

Under examination by Queen’s Counsel Elliot Mottley, the lead attorney for the Mottley family, Dr Bhola said the deceased man had not passed any urine after undergoing the operation.

She said it was possible it was an indication his kidneys were not functioning properly.

Another doctor, Dr Courtney Chase, also gave evidence.

She said she first met Mottley and his wife on June 27 when he complained of abdominal pain, which he said began after he ate a bacon sandwich.

Dr Chase said at that time the patient was experiencing nausea, but no vomiting or diarrhea.

She said Mottley did not have sepsis when he first underwent surgery, and was only diagnosed at the QEH.

The deceased’s sister, Elan Mottley, testified that she identified his body to the coroner at the QEH on July 9, 2021.