Browse Sections
Interactive
Popular Sections
Clouds and sunNews
| 
Submit Comments
FULLBACK Shaun Beeley after receiving his injury – the damage to his left cheekbone can clearly be seen.
advertisement
Hospital took eye off ball?
Carl Marsden28/ 2/2007
EXCLUSIVE
OLDHAM Athletic are demanding a "full investigation" after claiming that serious injuries to two young footballers, within the space of 24 hours, were misdiagnosed by staff at Royal Oldham Hospital.
Club officials were submitting a formal complaint as the Advertiser went to press following separate incidents last week which saw first-team player Chris Hall suffer a bad fracture to his leg and youth-team player Shaun Beeley a severely fractured cheekbone.
Both had apparently been cleared of breaks after being rushed to the A&E department at the borough's hospital on Rochdale Road.
The club's complaint - which they claim is backed by medical evidence from private specialists - is that the players' injuries were incorrectly diagnosed and could have had very serious consequences, particularly for 17-year-old Beeley.
Lee Nobes, who is the Latics' physiotherapist, said: "Both Shaun and Chris are fortunate that we would never let any of our players train if we suspected something was wrong.
"If we are not happy then we have the facility to take them private for another opinion - but, of course, not everyone has that same privilege."
Beeley was injured after a clash of heads last Wednesday night during his first start for the reserves against Manchester City at Stalybridge Celtic.
Coaching staff say they immediately suspected he had suffered a depressed fracture of the cheekbone and he arrived at the Royal Oldham at around 9pm before undergoing an X-ray. Four hours later, they claim, he was told he had not sustained a fracture and that he should return home, rest and take painkillers.
But Tony Philliskirk, the youth team coach who accompanied Beeley to casualty, says the youth was in obvious distress.
"My first thought was that it was a depressed fracture and you could actually see that in his face," he said. "He was told to go home and that he would be fine, but we were not happy at all.
"The next morning Lee Nobes had big concerns and we had him X-rayed at Highfield Hospital, Rochdale. The doctors said that if Shaun had sneezed it could have caused his eye socket to collapse.
"I can't begin to imagine what might have happened if we'd put him straight back into training. He's a tough lad but if a ball had hit him in the face - or he'd even gone up for a routine header - the worst could have happened. It beggars belief."
As Beeley was having his injury re-assessed on Thursday morning, first-team striker Chris Hall became the latest victim of the club's injury curse at the Chapel Road training ground.
The 20-year-old was ferried to hospital after sustaining what staff feared was a broken leg.
Hall was cleared of a break at the Royal Oldham only for further X-rays, again at Highfield, to confirm a fracture to his right leg the next day after club staff expressed concern.
Lee Nobes said: "I thought it was a definite fracture straight away. The signs were all there.
"Chris has broken his leg in the past and said it felt the same. He was given crutches and sent away with suspected severe bruising but we weren't happy and again, the next morning, the fracture was confirmed at Highfield."
The club is now submitting a written complaint to the Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust, which runs the Royal Oldham.
A spokesman for the Royal Oldham said: "We've yet to receive any complaints from the patients concerned but if we do we will investigate them fully."
Both players have since undergone surgery.
Hall has had a plate inserted in his leg and will be sidelined for an estimated two months.
Beeley, a right-back, could be out for up to three months at a time when he only has two months left on his trainee contract.
Most recent 2 of 3 user comments
5/03/2007 at 15:12
Got an opinion you want to share?| Card | BT Fee |
| Virgin Credit Card | 2.98% |
| Capital One BT Platinum Card | 3.0% |
| Egg Card | 3.0% |
| Tesco Bonus Credit Card | 2.9% |
| Capital One BT Exclusive | 3.0% |
| Company | Typical APR |
| Platinum Exclusive Loan | 7.5% |
| Moneyback Bank | 7.8% |
| Barclays | 7.9% |
| Sainsbury's Personal Loan | 8.5% |
| Halifax (Semi-exclusive) | 8.6% |
| Bank of Scotland (Semi-exclusive) | 8.6% |
| Alliance & Leicester | 8.7% |
| Provider | AER* |
|
SAINSBURYS FINANCE Internet Saver |
5.50% |
|
ING DIRECT Savings Account |
6.50% |
|
TESCO PERSONAL FINANCE Internet Saver |
6.50% |
|
CITIBANK Flexible Saver Issue 4 |
6.43% |
|
ABBEY Instant Access Saver (Special Issue 2) |
6.30% |
|
EGG BANKING PLC Egg Savings Account (Internet) |
6.30% |
|
ALLIANCE & LEICESTER eSaver - Issue 2 |
6.60% |
|
HALIFAX Web Saver Extra |
6.00% |
|
ABBEY eSaver Direct |
6.50% |
|
BRITANNIA BS DirectSaver Reserve Account |
6.25% |
5/03/2007 at 19:14