Prevention of Future Deaths Report: Thomas Mallinson (15 July 2025)

Summary

Thomas Raymond Mallinson died in Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, on 23 November 2024. He had developed gastroenteritis which, despite repeated pleas from his wife went without any effective response or treatment from health services for four days. When finally admitted to hospital he was gravely ill and died despite treatment escalation to intensive care. Had he been admitted to hospital in a timely manner it is most likely he would have survived.The narrative conclusion was that “Death was due to natural disease. Significant delay amounting to neglect was a major causative factor”. 

The Medical cause of death was given as: 

• 1a  Cardiogenic Shock and Acute Kidney Failure 
• 1b  Gastroenteritis  
•  II   Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation 

Content

Matters of concern

To SSP Health, owners and operators of Carlisle Central Practice, 65 Warwick Road, Carlisle

• It was acknowledged that on 18th the advice “to call back tomorrow” should never have been given and that the telephone appointment the following day really ought to have been a face to face assessment either in surgery or at Thomas’s home. I am concerned that no body or organisation has taken responsibility for Thomas, an elderly man with significant co- morbidities, during his illness. Should this responsibility ultimately rest with a patients general practitioner, if not where does it rest? 

To Cumbria Health (CH)

• Thomas’s case was sent electronically to the service, marked for 2 hour attention. I appreciate why this did not take place as it was impossible for clinicians on night duty to triage a large number of calls waiting while actually visiting and treating their caseload. I note a new “OPEL” system has since been instituted to try to escalate and get extra help as the number of calls waiting increases, but where will these extra resources come from overnight? I am also concerned that the referral from NWAS came as a result of a 999 emergency phone call but there seemed to be no way of telling NWAS that the call had not been dealt with and (presumably) passing responsibility back to them. As referred to above -where does responsibility lie? 

To Northwest Ambulance Service (NWAS) as providers of both 111 and 999 responses in Cumbria. 

• There were multiple calls to 111 and 999 in this case. I was told that there was no alert to a call handler to indicate recent contacts for the same patient with the same condition which might highlight a need for more decisive action. I am also concerned that (as above) there is no system that alerts your control to the fact that a 999 (emergency) case you have passed to another agency has not in fact been dealt with. A further concern refers specifically to the 111 service. At inquest it was questioned whether for out of hours GP services Cumbria had been better served when calls went to a local control room in Carlisle. 

To [REDACTED], Secretary of State for Health.  

• In my summing up after hearing the evidence in this case I explained the legal concept of neglect as a failure to provide basic care and (in this case) medical attention for someone in a dependent condition who can not provide it for himself, and I remarked that I felt Thomas “had fallen through an overcomplex system and was indeed neglected”. I am aware that you are hoping to develop a 10 year plan for the NHS and therefore feel it my duty to highlight this case to you as an example of how overcomplexity has lost sight of a man’s urgent care needs.