A DUDLEY man suffered life-changing hand injuries after he was wrongly sent home from hospital following a work accident.

Engineer Jamie Keefe's right hand was crushed and suffered puncture wounds and a deep cut when it slipped into a machine at work in December 2018.

The 26-year-old went to Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham where the wound was washed and partially stitched up and he was sent home with antibiotics.

He was given an appointment to attend a follow-up review at the fracture clinic three days later, but concerned with his care, Jamie called 111.

He then attended Queen Elizabeth Hospital where staff discovered he had a significant patch of dead tissue across his hand.

Jamie underwent surgery and then had a skin graft taken from his thigh.

The injury and subsequent scarring, despite treatment and therapy, meant Jamie had to change jobs as he could no longer use grip and use heavy tools and equipment.

Speaking of his ordeal, Jamie said: "“Suffering the injury was absolutely horrendous but when I was sent home from hospital on the same day I was surprised.

“My hand remained in a really bad way and seemed to be getting worse. It got to the point where I knew I needed to get another opinion.

“When the doctors at Queen Elizabeth Hospital told me the extent of what needed to be done I couldn’t believe it. I was angry that it took nearly a week to get the treatment that I needed.

“Nothing will change what I’ve been through, but I just hope that the NHS can learn lessons so that no one else faces the problems that I have.”

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Heartlands Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, admitted that it “failed to recognise the severity” of Jamie’s injury when he first attended hospital December 11.

The Trust admitted Jamie should have been admitted as an inpatient and received intravenous antibiotics and had any affected tissue removed.

His injury should also have been escalated for senior review, the Trust said.

Jamie’s legal team at Irwin Mitchell secured an admission of liability from the Trust.

Jennifer Shipley, specialist medical negligence expert at Irwin Mitchell representing Jamie, said: “Jamie remains frustrated by the standard of care he received after suffering this awful injury which has gone on to impact on his life.

“Patients place a huge amount of trust in medical experts and always expect that a quality standard of care will be provided. Sadly this did not happen in Jamie’s case.

“While nothing will change what has happened we welcome the admission of liability. We will now continue to support Jamie so he can access the ongoing support he needs to maximise his recovery.

“It is also important that the Trust learns lessons to improve patient care.”

A spokesperson for University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Trust always strives to deliver the safest and most appropriate care to all of our patients and takes learning from cases such as this seriously. We are sorry that Mr Keefe did not receive the care he should have done on this occasion.”