The BBC has reported this week that an investigation has been launched into the death of a mother of two who fell unconscious while waiting in Accident and Emergency (A&E) at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham.
Seven hour wait to see a doctor
The woman was found in a chair underneath her coat on 19 January. It is reported that the 39-year-old, who was triaged on arrival complaining of a headache, had waited more than seven hours to be seen by a doctor.
It is understood that she was found by staff when her name was eventually called out to see a doctor and she did not respond.
Tragically, she died of a brain haemorrhage two days later.
Investigation
Medical Director at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said that an investigation will now take place.
Depending on the outcome of that review, the case could then be escalated to an external independent investigation.
A&E delays
This devastating story comes following reports earlier this month that the number of people who waited more than 12 hours in A&E departments in England had increased by nearly 25% in January.
During that month, 54,308 people waited more than 12 hours from a decision to admit to actually being admitted. That was the second highest figure on record.
NHS England has said the figures come after A&E and ambulance services experienced their busiest-ever January with 2.23 million A&E attendances.
The NHS recovery plan sets a target of March 2024 for 76% of patients attending A&E to be admitted, transferred, or discharged within four hours.
Comment
The reports of increased delays in A&E show not only the pressures the NHS is currently facing but also that the resources to provide for it are simply not there.
The death of the young woman in Nottingham following a significant seven hour wait to be seen shows just how catastrophic the consequences are of services being unable to cope with the patients in need. It is clear that patient safety is at severe risk, and this is just not acceptable.
More must be done to work on the issues and prevent these tragic situations from happening at all.
How can we help?
Danielle Young is a Legal Director in our Medical Negligence team, which is ranked in Tier One by the independently researched publication, The Legal 500.
If you have any questions about the subjects discussed in this article, please contact Danielle or another team member in Derby, Leicester, or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.
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