Practice admits breach of duty in connection with death of Redditch man due to Covid vaccination

A doctor’s practice has admitted that a 26-year-old man who died within two weeks of receiving AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine was not properly informed about the risks.

Jack Hurn, from Redditch, developed blood clots on his brain in June 2021 after receiving the vaccine at the Revival Fires Clinic in Dudley.

At that time, it was recommended that alternative vaccines be offered to people under 30 due to known risks.

Anchor Medical Practice has admitted breach of duty but accepts no liability for Mr Hurn’s death.

His family has taken legal action against the doctor’s office, claiming the decision to vaccinate him that day ruined their lives.

His girlfriend Alex Jones said: “I’m thinking about getting married and having kids. I’m starting over because so much has been taken from me.”

“I don’t think they understand. How can we move on with our lives now that Jack is gone?”

His mother Tracey Hurn said: “His last words were ‘I’m scared, I’m scared’. We will have to live with that for the rest of our lives. Our son was terrified.”

Mr Hurn, a former Coventry University student, drove with his girlfriend from their home to the Dudley centre for vaccination on 29 May 2021.

From 7 April of that year, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) guidelines changed, suggesting that those under 30 should be offered alternatives to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Ms Jones claimed they were not informed of the severity of the side effects.

“We were not made aware that it was fatal and the blood clots were in the brain. That would have made a difference to us,” she said.

The vaccination centre was run by the local Primary Care Network and the lead practice was Anchor Medical Practice.

Anchor Medical Practice did not administer the vaccine.

In a letter to Mr Hurn’s family lawyers, seen by the BBC, the firm’s lawyers said: “It is acknowledged that Jack was told the risk of blood clotting was 1 in 250,000, whereas the actual risk for his age group was 1 in 50,000.”

“It is acknowledged that the failure to provide the correct blood clot risk assessment when obtaining Jack’s consent constituted a breach of duty.”

Lawyers said Mr Hurn drove 45 minutes for the vaccination and now wanted to move on with his life.

“It is for the plaintiff to prove that Jack would have refused vaccination if he had been told the true extent of the risk. Therefore, we make no concessions in this regard,” they said.

On 6 June, eight days after the vaccination, Mr Hurn developed a headache and went to Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, where a blood clot was diagnosed.

The family believes he suffered a stroke the following day but were unable to visit him due to Covid restrictions.

He was transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where the family were told nothing more could be done, and he died on 11 June.

Dr Sandhu, of Anchor Medical Practice, said: “Our deepest condolences go out to Jack’s friends and family following his tragic death. We are in legal discussions so it is difficult to comment fully on the circumstances.”

“Part of the vaccination programme was delivered by the Dudley and Netherton Primary Care Network (PCN). Anchor Medical Practice was the PCN’s lead practice at the time of the vaccination programme.

“This may explain why Anchor Medical Practice is named as a defendant in this case as, unlike a practice, PCNs are not legal entities.

“The vaccination programme was not the sole responsibility of the Anchor Medical Practice and it was not the location of the vaccination clinics.

“This was a joint project between Dudley and Netherton PCN. The doctors working at the centre in Revival Fires on the day of the vaccination in question were from all PCN practices.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated that almost 400,000 lives were saved in England between December 2020 and March 2023 thanks to the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

The safety of the vaccines has been extensively reviewed by the MHRA in both adults and children, the NHS said.

It was added that the MHRA is monitoring the safety of the vaccines and reports of serious side effects are very rare.