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Man, 84, left lying on driveway after breaking hip

An 84-year-old man with heart conditions endured an agonising three-hour wait for an ambulance while lying on his damp driveway after breaking his hip.

Graham Woolston was driven to his home in Lowestoft, Suffolk, by his son Daniel Woolston last Friday before falling and injuring himself at about 22:20 GMT.

Despite his age and pre-existing medical conditions, coupled with the cold weather, paramedics did not arrive at the scene until about 01:20 GMT.

Neill Moloney, chief executive of East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST), said: "We would like to apologise sincerely to Mr Woolston and his family."

Mr Woolston had just spent eight hours in James Paget University Hospital, Gorleston, Norfolk, after experiencing dizziness over Christmas.

But after arriving home, he stumbled out of his son's car and hit the floor, shattering his hip and leaving him in excruciating pain.

After calling for an ambulance Daniel, 47, and his sister, with the help of neighbours, covered him in a duvet and blankets and used an umbrella to keep him dry.

Within an hour and a half of the fall, Mr Woolston started to look "a bit pale", so Daniel called the ambulance service again, but to no avail.

He was, however, told to get a defibrillator kit in the event his dad went into cardiac arrest, which he interpreted as being asked to "play paramedic".

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Source: BBC News, 3 January 2025

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Man, 84, died on trolley 'after six-hour wait'

The daughter of a man who died in a hospital corridor after six hours on a trolley said he may still be alive if her pleas for help were acted on.

Emma Driver said her 84-year-old father, Donald, was only seen by nurses at University Hospital Coventry when he slid off the trolley he was left on. He died moments later, shortly before 01:00 BST on 14 October.

The hospital trust said it was "investigating this matter thoroughly" and was in contact with the family.

Ms Driver called for paramedics at about 18:00 the day before, a Sunday, when her father was complaining of stomach pain, with symptoms similar to a stomach ulcer he had previously suffered with.

She told the BBC it was "extremely busy" when they arrived at the hospital and it was 90 minutes before paramedics could hand him over to hospital staff. 

Mr Driver was left to wait on a trolley in the corridor, his daughter said, and still had not been seen by midnight, despite her asking for help multiple times.

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Source: BBC New, 23 October 2019

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Man, 27, dies weeks after receiving Covid vaccine he was wrongly invited to take by NHS

A man who died three weeks after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab was given the vaccine despite not being eligible, an independent investigation has found.

A probe into failings linked to the death of Jack Last, a young man who died in April 2021 from a blood clot linked to the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab, revealed the 27-year-old was wrongly called up early for the vaccine by his GP - and so, did not receive a jab deemed safer for under 30s.

The report found his death was “a consequence of a combination of system shortcomings, human error, and tragic unfortunate timing”.

His family have accused the NHS of a “litany of errors” that cost a “fit and healthy” young man his life.

They said: “Sharing the horrific ordeal that Jack was put through is something that must be done to highlight the litany of errors that have cost Jack his life…Jack died following days of agony, with immense internal damage throughout his body, bleeding and clots in his brain.”

These failures, according to the report, also included a “lack of urgency” in getting him a CT head scan treatment for possible blood clots and a misdiagnosis of his scan once it had been done.

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Source: The Independent, 18 September 2024

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Man with Down's Syndrome died in hospital after not being fed for nine days

A man with Down’s Syndrome and dementia died in hospital after not being fed for nine days.

The 56-year-old was admitted to Poole hospital with a hip fracture after falling over at a Bournemouth care home, where he had been receiving care.

On admittance, he was taken to the trauma and orthopaedics ward, where he was listed as ‘nil by mouth’, as he had trouble swallowing.

Nine days later, he died of pneumonia after a ‘series of errors’ at the hospital.

Now, the man’s father has been given £22,500 in compensation, after an incident investigation at the hospital.

Allegations made against the hospital included a failure to feed the patient for nine days, causing "his subsequent severe deterioration and death".

The hospital failed to adequately monitor and investigate his condition, while failing to provide senior doctors, it was alleged.

This left unsupervised junior doctors who did not have access to senior staff or any way to escalate their concerns, allegations said.

This, it was claimed, was not done when the patient was still nil by mouth after nine days, despite the fact he was suffering from pneumonia.

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Source: Yahoo News, 9 February 2024

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Man with diabetes died after GPs ‘failed to spot deteriorating health’

A 27-year-old man died from complications linked to diabetes after GPs failed to properly investigate his rapidly deteriorating health.

Lugano Mwakosya died on 3 October 2020 from diabetic ketoacidosis, a build-up of toxic acids in the blood arising from low insulin levels, two days before he could see a GP in person.

His mother, Petronella Mwasandube, believes his death could have been avoided if doctors at Strensham Road Surgery, in Birmingham, had given “adequate consideration” to Lugano’s diabetic history and offered face-to-face appointments following phone consultations on 31 July and 16 and 30 September.

An independent review commissioned by NHS England found two doctors who spoke to Lugano did not take into account his diabetes or “enquire in detail and substantiate the actual cause of the patient’s symptoms”.

The review raised concern over the “quality and brevity” of the phone assessments and said the surgery should have offered Lugano an in-person appointment sooner.

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Source: The Independent, 7 August 2022

 

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Man with broken hip taken to hospital tied to plank

A man who had broken his hip was taken to hospital strapped to a plank in the back of a van after his granddaughter was told no ambulances were available.

Nicole Lea found Melvyn Ryan behind the door of his home after he pressed an emergency call button around his neck.

When she got there she discovered the 89-year-old also had a broken shoulder.

She said she went to grandfather-of-eight Mr Ryan's home, in Cwmbran, Torfaen, after being contacted just after midnight on Friday.

She said: "I didn't waste any time in calling 999 and gave them my details. And they turned around and said they were unable to send anyone, there wasn't any help to send and that I'd have to find a way of getting him there myself."

The call handler advised her to call the out-of-hours GP before saying she had to go to deal with other calls.

She did not call the GP as she thought it would be a waste of time.

"With my partner and my mum's help we managed to come up with the idea of getting him onto a plank of wood and into the back of my partner's van to get him up to hospital," Ms Lea said. 

"Mr Ryan has had what sounds like the most appalling of experience," said Dr Iona Collins, chairwoman of the British Medical Association (BMA) Cymru.

"How must the ambulance service feel when they are getting calls like this? Obvious its an emergency and they need help and they are unable to help," she told Radio Wales Breakfast.

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Source: BBC News, 12 December 2022

 

 
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Man who killed himself in Blackpool hospital was badly failed, says mother

A 27-year-old man who killed himself in a hospital toilet after waiting nearly 24 hours to see a mental health professional was badly failed by the NHS, his mother has said.

Jamie Pearson was admitted to Blackpool Victoria hospital’s A&E department after taking an overdose of high-strength painkillers on 17 August.

His mother, Julie Knowles, said her son was left for hours in a “depressing” side room along with other patients, including one who was also suffering a mental health crisis.

Pearson, a self-employed joiner, had been experiencing paranoid delusions and was receiving treatment for acute psychosis when he was admitted to the hospital at about 7pm, Knowles said.

Knowles said “no one seemed to be doing anything” for her son, so she pleaded for him to be seen urgently by a mental health professional.

A nurse then “marched” over to Pearson and told him that he needed to finish his drip before he would be assessed, she said.

After nearly 24 hours in A&E, Pearson became more agitated and went to the toilet a number of times, his mother and the fellow patient said.

Then at about 6pm he went to the disabled toilet for a final time. He was found unresponsive by staff after Knowles called for help.

“If someone would’ve come to see him and say everything’s going to be alright that would’ve meant a lot to my son. But at no time did anyone come from the mental health team,” she said.

“He was in the right place. He wanted help. I know if he had been given some help he would’ve got better.”

Knowles said she was speaking out so that people suffering a mental health crisis would be treated with more urgency in A&E.

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Source: The Guardian, 29 September 2024

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Man who died after heart problem was dismissed as anxiety was seen by physician’s associate

A 25-year-old who died from a heart haemorrhage after being diagnosed with a panic attack had been seen by a non-medical school trained physician associate (PA) but not a doctor, it has emerged.

Ben Peters, 25, attended the emergency department at Manchester Royal Infirmary on the morning of 11 Nov 2022 with chest pain, arm ache, a sore throat and shortness of breath.

While waiting, he endured a “severe episode of vomiting”.

Peters was diagnosed with a panic attack and gastric inflammation by the PA and sent home with two medications, after a supervising consultant, who the coroner found never reviewed the patient in person, agreed with the diagnosis.

Less than 24 hours later, Peters died from a rare complication of the heart that had resulted in a tear of the heart’s major artery, known as aortic dissection, and led to a fatal haemorrhage.

The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust (TADCT) says around 2,000 people in Britain die from the condition each year, which can be “reliably diagnosed or excluded” using a CT scan, but “misdiagnosis affects one-third of patients”.

A prevention of future deaths notice issued by Chris Morris, the area coroner for Greater Manchester South, written to Manchester University Foundation Trust, said: “It is a matter of concern that despite the patient’s reported symptoms, in view of his age and extensive family history of cardiac problems, Mr Peters was discharged from the Ambulatory Care Unit without being examined or reviewed in person by a doctor."

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Source: The Telegraph, 21 October 2023

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Man waits eight years for mental health therapy as services hit by demand

A man has waited eight years to get adequate mental health care, as waiting lists for therapy grow.

Myles Cook, 47, from Essex, lives with severe depression and has been fighting to get one-to-one counselling for eight years but he has been told there are not enough therapists locally to respond to the demand.

Instead, he has been referred to group sessions, which he said were “detrimental” to his condition and manages his condition with medication but said he did not find that helpful either.

He said: “If you’re not getting help, and all you keep getting are pills and pills that don’t seem to be doing much. It might take the edge off but it doesn’t really do anything for my depression and because of the way the benefits system works, I’m not getting any therapy If I’m not on tablets, they’ll probably kick me off on my benefits because I’m not being treated.”

“I take the tablets, the psychiatric medications, I keep taking them although they’re not helpful because I need to have something to prove that I’m being treated to keep my benefits.”

At least 95% of patients needing NHS talking therapy services, called IAPT, should receive treatment within 18 weeks. But figures previously uncovered by The Independent showed that just one in five patients have their second IAPT appointment within three months.

And the NHS has failed to meet its target of having 1.6 million patients seen by IAPT services last year. Data published last year shows this was missed by 400,0000 at the end of 2021-22.

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Source: The Independent, 16 January 2023

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Man suffered psychosis after Trust failed to inform him of steroids side-effects

A man who suffered a psychotic episode which lasted for weeks was not fully informed about potential extreme side-effects of taking steroids medication, England’s health service Ombudsman has found.

Andrew Holland was prescribed steroids in early January 2022 by Manchester Royal Eye Hospital after losing vision in his left eye and suffering a severe infection in his right eye.

The 61-year-old from Manchester was given the medication as treatment for eye inflammation, but soon began suffering from disrupted sleep and severe headaches.

These side-effects developed into more serious ones, including becoming aggressive, psychotic, and inexplicably wandering the street at different times of the day and night.

After several hospital visits due to his symptoms, Andrew attended Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s emergency department in mid-January with a severe headache and later became an inpatient.

He was diagnosed with steroid induced psychosis, with symptoms including hallucinations, insomnia and behaviour changes.

Though no failings were found with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in prescribing Andrew with steroids for the eye condition, the Ombudsman discovered a missed opportunity to fully inform him of potential extreme side-effects. He was therefore unable to make a fully informed decision about whether to take them or not.

The Trust apologised for an ‘unsatisfactory experience’. However, the Ombudsman found relevant guidelines were not followed. Moreover, there had been no acknowledgement of mistakes in communication about the side-effects. Nor was any attempt made to correct them.

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Source: PSHO, 10 April 2024

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Man says he has been 'left to rot' after Covid vaccine

On 15 December 2021 Larry Lowe’s life changed. He was 54, rarely ill, fit, healthy and running 10km most days – until he got the Pfizer Covid booster.

Within days he developed numbness in the right side of his face and started experiencing pain.

"I had lost all the feeling in my face, teeth, nose, tongue, eye, that whole side of my head," he said.

These symptoms have spread through his body and intensified over the years, with doctors across the UK saying the vaccine is to blame.

Pfizer said patient safety was paramount and it took reports of adverse reactions very seriously.

It said hundreds of millions of doses had been administered globally "and the benefit-risk profile of the vaccine remains positive for all authorised indications and age groups".

Mr Lowe said that while he was not opposed to vaccines, his life had been destroyed.

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Source: BBC News, 14 October 2024

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Man plans to sue NHS after cancer surgery delayed due to coronavirus

A former senior NHS official plans to sue the organisation after he had to pay a private hospital £20,000 for potentially life-saving cancer surgery because NHS care was suspended due to COVID-19.

Rob McMahon, 68, decided to seek private treatment after Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS trust told him that he would have to wait much longer than usual for a biopsy. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer after an MRI scan on 19 March, four days before the lockdown began.

McMahon was due to see a consultant urologist on 27 March but that was changed to a telephone consultation and then did not take place for almost two weeks.

“At that appointment, the consultant said: ‘Don’t worry, these things are slow-growing. You’ll have a biopsy but not for two or three months.’ I thought, ‘that’s a long time’, so decided to see another consultant privately for a second opinion.”

A PET-CT scan confirmed that he had a large tumour on both lobes of the prostate and a biopsy showed the cancer was at risk of breaking out of the prostate capsule and spreading into his body. He then paid to undergo a radical prostatectomy at a private Spire hospital.

“This is care that I should have had on the NHS, not something that I should have had to pay for myself. I had an aggressive cancer. I needed urgent treatment – there was no time to waste,”, he said. “With the pandemic, he added, “it was almost like a veil came down over the NHS. He worked for the NHS for 17 years as a manager in hospitals in London, Birmingham and Redditch, Worcestershire, and was the chief executive of an NHS primary care trust in Leicester.”

Mary Smith of Novum Law, McMahon’s solicitors, said: “Unfortunately, Rob’s story is one of many we are hearing about from cancer patients who have been seriously affected by the disruption to oncology services as a result of COVID-19."

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Source: The Guardian, 11 July 2020

 

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Man paralysed from neck down ‘not eligible’ for night-time care

A quadriplegic man was told his care funding would be revoked, after NHS officials deemed him not disabled enough to qualify for support.

Simon Shaw, 54, has received 24-hour care since he was left paralysed from the neck down after a car accident in 1984.

He relies on carers at night to help him with everything from turning in bed to having a drink of water. They also intervene with medical aid if he develops life-threatening complications related to his paralysis, which could happen at any time, without warning.

But a recent NHS assessment controversially ruled Shaw’s health needs were not severe enough to warrant full-time medical care. Local health authority officials told him he did not meet eligibility criteria and his NHS funding would be stopped from 20 June.

Shaw, from Clapham, south London, said that meant there was no money for his night-time care and he would be left unsupported from 8pm to 8am for the first time in nearly four decades.

“It’s frightening, to be honest,” Shaw said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do when they take my care away.

“I don’t cease to exist after 8pm. I still need to get into bed, have a drink of water and use the toilet – and I can’t do any of it on my own.

“There are a lot of things that can go wrong with my health and when they do, they usually need urgent attention. If there’s no one there, to be frank… it could mean death.”

Mandy Jamieson, a caseworker for the Spinal Injuries Association, said: “We have noticed an increase in patients with severe disabilities being turned down for funding in recent years, particularly since the introduction of assessments via video call since the pandemic.

“But I feel particularly in Simon’s case the decision that has been made is wrong. He has so many health needs that I find it incredible that they turned him down.”

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Source: The Guardian, 19 June 2022

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Man murdered stranger in Devon park after losing mental health support, inquest hears

A man with mental health issues and a history of making violent threats murdered a woman in a Devon park after falling off a waiting list for a care coordinator, possibly because a health trust’s computer records were compromised by a cyber-attack, an inquest has heard.

If Cameron Davis had been allocated a care coordinator, a multi-agency meeting on him may have been called before he stabbed Lorna England, 74, the senior coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, Philip Spinney, concluded.

Cameron Davis fatally stabbed Lorna England after warning he would kill a stranger if he was not sectioned. 

Spinney highlighted that on the day of the murder, a mental health nurse tried to contact the police on their non-emergency 101 line to report that Davis was threatening to kill someone. The nurse waited on the line for about two hours before he was disconnected.

The inquest heard that Davis had been known to mental health services in Devon from November 2021.

In January 2023, the month before he murdered England, Davis presented himself at a police station in Exeter and told an officer he would “100%” kill someone. He was taken to hospital but discharged.

On Saturday 18 February, the morning of the killing, he told a paramedic he would kill a “random person” if he was not detained. He was taken back to hospital but again discharged and went on to attack England that afternoon.

The coroner said psychiatric teams had followed the correct procedures in deciding not to detain Davis. But he said: “There was a mistake in 2022 when Mr Davis appeared to be removed from a waiting list. Mr Davis did not have a care coordinator allocated.”

He said: “It is my conclusion that Mr Davis would have greatly benefited from a care coordinator as a single point of contact as would the other agencies involved to share information.

“A care coordinator may have convened a multi-agency meeting after a decline in Mr Davis mental health at the end of January [2023].”

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Source: The Guardian, 22 October 2025

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Man held after five people attacked in hospital

A man has been arrested after five people were assaulted with a weapon in a hospital, police have said.

The casualties, none of whom are thought to have suffered life-threatening injuries, were treated by paramedics at Newton Community Hospital in Newton-le-Willows, St Helens, after the attack with what may have been a crowbar shortly after 12:00 GMT.

Merseyside Police added the suspect was believed to have gone to the hospital to request an appointment but became "increasingly agitated" when this was declined and he was asked to leave.

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Source: BBC News, 30 December 2025

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Man had unnecessary chemotherapy for 14 years

A cancer patient has spent more than 14 years receiving unnecessary chemotherapy, hospital bosses have admitted.

Lawyers representing the man claim they know of 12 more patients - all in Coventry - saying his case is the "tip of the iceberg".

NHS Guidelines recommend the chemotherapy drug he was originally prescribed, temozolomide, should not be used for more than six months.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW) said it was carrying out an internal review into what happened, and stressed it was committed to providing the best care for its patients.

Lawyers for the patient claim that long-term treatment with temozolomide risks secondary cancer, chronic liver problems and reinforces the fear of death.

The patient, who was originally treated for a cancerous brain tumour, said he had suffered fatigue, joint pain, gastrointestinal distress, recurrent mouth ulcers and nausea, because of the ongoing treatment.

His prolonged chemotherapy programme was only discovered when the consultant treating him, Prof Ian Brown, retired.

A consultant who took over his care then confirmed the four-week cycles of chemotherapy he was undertaking were not needed.

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Source: BBC News, 22 January 2025

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Man fitted with stoma after 'unnecessary' surgery

A patient who suffered internal bleeding from surgery following an incorrect diagnosis, said he has "nightmares" about how he was treated.

The public services ombudsman for Wales said it was "completely avoidable" and recommended health officials make a redress payment of £10,000.

The man was initially referred to Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales with appendicitis. But, after a number of tests and scans, it was wrongly determined he had Crohn's disease, and colon surgery was recommended which led to a series of complications.

The man, known as Mr D in the ombudsman's report, suffered internal bleeding from the initial surgery and required a stoma, despite being told the chances of that were "very, very slim".

He also developed a hernia which required further surgery, and a mesh to be inserted.

"I try and do things that wouldn't have been a problem for me years ago, and find I struggle," he said.

"Sometimes I wake up still in pain from some of the scars. I sometimes have nightmares."

The man, who has Asperger's syndrome, also said it was not taken into proper consideration during consultation.

"I don't think there's a lot of things where people do take into account neurodiversity," he said.

Ombudsman Nick Bennett called the case "regrettable" after investigating the man's complaint.

"Physicians responsible for Mr D's care should have employed a watch and wait approach in which his condition would probably have settled without surgical treatment," he said.

"Instead, Mr D, a vulnerable individual, faced completely avoidable trauma of unnecessary surgery and post-treatment complications - a trauma which saw him seek mental health support."

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said it accepted the findings.

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Source: BBC News, 7 December 2021

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Man dies at hospital after wrongly being fed jelly

An elderly man with swallowing difficulties died in hospital after he was wrongly fed jelly and choked.

Milton Keynes Coroner's Court heard that Edward Cassin, 67 should not have been given jelly as it turns to liquid in the mouth and causes choking with people with dysphagia.

Because of his dysphagia he was on a modified diet and required supervision when eating to mitigate the risk of choking.

Despite this, there was evidence he was repeatedly fed jelly - highlighted as a food he should not be given - through his stay in hospital.

He was not properly supervised and he aspirated.

He died four days later in Milton Keynes University Hospital on 28 June 2023 as he was waiting to be discharged to a new care home.

The trust said it had "made meaningful changes to policy and practice to prevent similar incidences happening in the future".

Assistant Coroner Sean Cummings recorded his medical cause of death as aspiration pneumonia, chronic dysphagia and type 2 diabetes.

He concluded his death was contributed to by neglect and if he had been treated for the developing aspiration pneumonia he would likely not have died at the time he did.

Caron Heyes, a director at Fieldfisher representing Eddie's family, said: "We were shocked that eight years after Public Health England issued clear guidelines about the dangers of feeding inpatients with dysphagia and learning disability, they are still not recognised in a major hospital."

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Source: BBC News, 20 February 2025

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Man dies after being sucked into an MRI machine

An unfortunate series of events involving a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine led to the death of a man at a hospital in India.

Rajesh Maruti Maru, a 32-year-old, was thrust into the MRI machine  while he was visiting an elderly relative at the BYL Nair Charitable Hospital in Mumbai, India. As the Hindustan Times reports, the man was apparently told by a junior member of staff to carry a metal cylinder of liquid oxygen into a room containing an MRI machine.

Unbeknownst to everyone, the MRI machine was turned on. This caused Maru to be suddenly jolted pulled towards the machine, causing the oxygen tank to rupture and leak. The man later died after inhaling large amounts of oxygen. His body also bled heavily as a result of the accident.

"When we [the hospital staff] told him that metallic things aren't allowed inside an MRI room, he said 'sab chalta hai, hamara roz ka kaam hai' [it's fine, we do it every day]. He also said that the machine was switched off. The doctor, as well as the technician, didn't say anything,” Harish Solanki, Maru's relative, told NDTV.

"It's because of their carelessness that Rajesh died," Solanki added.

Police are currently examining the CCTV footage of the incident and have arrested at least two members of hospital staff for the negligence. The local government has also awarded the man's family 500,000 rupees ($7,855) in compensation.

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Source: IFL Science, 29 January 2018

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Man dies after A&E sent him home and ‘told him to drink Lucozade’ despite vomiting 100 times

A man died after A&E doctors sent him home from hospital and “told him to drink Lucozade” despite him vomiting 100 times in 24 hours.

Nick Rousseau died from an undiagnosed blocked bowel in 2019 after doctors at Milton Keynes Hospital failed to spot that he had the life-threatening condition.

The 47-year-old was sent home twice in three days and reassured he “would be alright” as doctors believed he had gastroenteritis, his “devastated” wife Kimberly White said.

But Mr Rousseau was actually suffering from an ischaemic bowel, a condition which blocks the arteries to the bowel. He had been to see his doctors several times and had lost three stones in weight over two years due to vomiting and diarrhoea but was never diagnosed.

His family, represented by Osbornes Law, received a six-figure payout in June from Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. While it did not admit negligence, it accepted that there were features of Mr Rousseau’s illness which could have justified admission, inpatient observation, and further tests, which could have given a definitive diagnosis.

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Source: The Independent, 4 August 2023

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Man died of sepsis after being sent home from Milton Keynes Hospital A&E

A father-of-two died of sepsis three days after being sent home from A&E with antibiotics for a suspected urinary tract infection, an inquest heard.

Alex Blewitt, 48, died in July 2022 after suffering a cardiac arrest caused by a perforated bowel and sepsis.

Senior coroner for Milton Keynes, Dr Sean Cummings, said Mr Blewitt's death was avoidable.

The coroner recorded a narrative conclusion and said he intended to issue a prevention of future deaths report.

Mr Cummings said: "The doctor, who saw and assessed Mr Blewitt in the emergency department, did not read the Urgent Care Centre communication that was provided and did not record important factual information in the clinical note.

"Mr Blewitt was discharged, but returned two days later when suffering with sepsis due to a previously undiagnosed bowel perforation."

Mr Blewitt's widow, Amy Blewitt, said: "Alex was in such pain and kept asking the hospital for help, but they sent him home.

"My plea to the hospital is please, please don't let this type of mistake ever happen to anyone else ever again."

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Source: BBC News, 22 March 2023

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Man died after GP's calls to hospital were missed

A coroner said there was a "risk future deaths could occur" unless action was taken after a man with sepsis died after a GP's calls to a hospital went unanswered.

Terrence Frost died of natural causes on 17 July 2024 at Ipswich Hospital, in Suffolk, after he collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest.

The 84-year-old had gone in with a serious infection or inflammation following advice from his GP, who tried to contact the hospital ahead of his arrival to no avail.

Nigel Parsley, senior coroner for Suffolk, said the doctor's "inability to promptly communicate" with its medical assessment unit or A&E department was a concern.

In a Prevention of Future Deaths report, he said: "[That] could lead to future deaths where suspected sepsis or other life-threatening conditions have been differentially diagnosed, especially if those conditions have progressed further than Terrence's had at the time of his arrival.

"I am further concerned that evidence was heard from a clinician based at the Ipswich Hospital itself, that they too found contacting the medical assessment unit extremely difficult, with internal hospital telephone calls frequently going unanswered."

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Source: BBC News, 16 March 2026

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Man died after doctors missed opportunities to identify abnormalities on his X-ray

A 65-year-old man died after doctors failed to notice serious abnormalities on his X-ray, an investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has revealed.  

The investigation comes a year after a landmark report by the Ombudsman highlighted failings in how X-rays and scans are reported and followed up in the NHS.  

Mr B, who was admitted to University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust in May 2019, had been unwell for several days. He was admitted to hospital suffering from abdominal pain and vomiting. An X-ray of his abdomen was taken, which two doctors said did not show any apparent abnormalities.

The following day the man’s condition deteriorated. He suffered a heart attack and died. A PHSO investigation found the Trust failed to notice a blockage in his intestine on the X-ray. Because of this failure, Mr B did not receive treatment that could have saved his life. 

Speaking on this case Ombudsman Rob Behrens said:  

“The case of Mr B highlights the devastating impact mistakes like this can have. If the Trust had picked up the abnormalities on his X-ray sooner, Mr B could still be with his family today. 

“As the NHS faces the challenge of rebuilding after the pandemic, it must not lose momentum in improving the way X-rays and scans are handled during a patient’s care.”  

Progress has been made by the NHS in implementing recommendations made by the Ombudsman in the report; however, Rob Behrens has said more needs to be done to protect patients from serious harm. 

“Attention and buy-in from the NHS’s senior leaders is crucial if we want to see sustained and meaningful change in how X-rays and scans are managed during a patient’s care. We need more collaboration across clinical specialties, looking at the whole patient journey once a scan has been carried out.

"I want to see the NHS treating complaints as a source of insight to drive improvements in patient care. Not learning from mistakes will mean missed opportunities to diagnose patients earlier. In the most serious cases, like that of Mr B, it will mean a death which should never have happened.”

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Source: PHSO, 20 July 2022

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Man carries grandad into hospital amid ambulance shortage

When Steve Parsons's grandfather collapsed at his Monmouthshire home, his family immediately dialled 999.

However when they were told there were no ambulances available, they had to take measures into their own hands.

In desperation, Mr Parsons drove and then carried the 83-year-old, who had suffered a cardiac arrest, into the Grange Hospital near Cwmbran, Torfaen.

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) and Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) admitted the incident did not match the service they wished to offer - but said it was indicative of the "unprecedented" pressures both organisations were under.

Mr Parsons said: "It was horrible. They're on the phone, you're there and he's grey in the face and looks horrendous. You just panic."

By the time Mr Parsons drove to the hospital, his grandfather had gone into cardiac arrest. He then carried his relative on his shoulder across the car park "yelling for help".

A passing nurse heard his calls and was able to help save the 83-year-old's life using CPR. 

His grandfather is now recovering at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny, but Mr Parsons said his family has been traumatised. 

"It makes me feel angry," said the 31-year-old. 

"If my grandfather had that ambulance, had that oxygen, I fully believe he wouldn't have gone into cardiac arrest and my family wouldn't have gone through what they've gone through these past seven days."

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Source: BBC News, 4 January 2023

 
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