Elderly patient left unable to swallow after 52-hour A&E wait

An elderly man was left unable to swallow after waiting over two days in A&E without being given regular medication, and died four weeks later.

In a “shocking” case that has raised fresh concerns over the state of urgent NHS care, the 85-year-old was sent to a hospital emergency department after a routine appointment. Amid massive delays, his A&E wait went into a third day, with most of it spent on a bed in the corridor.

He had Parkinson’s disease and required medicine at various intervals to control his symptoms. During his time in A&E, the man should have received 18 doses but seven were not given and three were given late, according to a report from the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB).

The report, which does not name the patient or hospital, highlights how the man was advised to go to A&E after complaining of back pain following a fall at home the day before.

After 52 hours in A&E, he was finally admitted to a ward where his Parkinson’s symptoms deteriorated and he lost the ability to swallow, the HSSIB said.

He died four weeks later, with the causes of death listed on the death certificate as a severe chest infection, Parkinson’s and frailty of old age.

The HSSIB report highlights how the man spent most of his time in A&E on a bed in a corridor because of demand on services. Corridor care can cause problems for emergency staff because there are “limited opportunities to store medication brought from home”, the authors said.

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Source: The Guardian, 5 November 2024

Further reading on the hub:

• Professionals with Parkinson’s tackle time critical patient safety issue: a blog by Sam Freeman Carney
• Parkinson's UK: Time critical medication guides for health professionals
• Medication delays: A huge risk for inpatients with Parkinson’s
• A silent safety scandal: A nurse’s first-hand account of a corridor nursing shift