Coroner highlights pressure in hospitals linked to patients fit to be discharged

Health bosses person been urged to tackle furniture blocking and agelong exigency section waits successful hospitals by a coroner, who warned that determination is simply a “risk of aboriginal deaths unless thing is done”.

It comes aft the decease of a 91-year-old pistillate who refused to spell to A&E aft a erstwhile acquisition which saw her forced to hold for a agelong clip successful a chair, adjacent though she had a breached back.

Dorothy Reid was “in discomfort for hours” successful a engaged exigency section astatine Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) infirmary successful Margate, Kent, successful March past year.

The archetypal attendance led to specified a mediocre acquisition that she (Dorothy Reid) chose not to spell backmost to infirmary erstwhile an ambulance was called

Prevention of Future Deaths report

When she needed exigency attraction again immoderate days aboriginal she refused due to the fact that she had “such a mediocre experience” previously.

Ms Reid died from a humor clot, but North East Kent Coroner Catherine Wood ruled that she whitethorn not person died erstwhile she did if she had attended A&E erstwhile she was advised.

Mrs Wood highlighted however “unnecessary pressure” builds successful exigency departments erstwhile infirmary beds are “blocked by patients who are medically acceptable for discharge”.

She said this is simply a “national, not section problem”.

The quality comes aft NHS bosses warned that hospitals successful England are “close to full” arsenic a important fig of beds are occupied by radical who are medically acceptable to beryllium discharged.

NHS England said past week that astir 96% of infirmary beds were full.

And 1 successful 7 of these beds were taken by patients who were medically acceptable to beryllium discharged.

A “prevention of aboriginal deaths” study by Mrs Wood, highlights however Ms Reid was advised to spell to infirmary aft suffering a autumn astatine home.

Spinal fractures were identified connected an x-ray and she was referred to the exigency section wherever she was “kept overnight” earlier she was fixed an MRI.

The study highlights however she “had to hold connected a seat arsenic determination were nary beds”.

During assorted interactions with wellness services successful the aftermath of her experience, unit noted that she was suffering from breathlessness.

Ten days aft the archetypal travel to A&E, her girl contacted the 111 work and an ambulance was called aft she was complaining of shortness of enactment accompanied by swollen feet and little legs.

“Although the ambulance unit advised that she should be hospital, she wanted to debar a travel to infirmary owed to her antecedently having to hold successful discomfort for hours,” the study states.

A fewer days aboriginal Ms Reid was taken to A&E wherever she died.

Her origin of decease was recorded arsenic a humor clot which developed during her reduced mobility due to the fact that of the fall. The autumn besides caused spinal fractures due, successful part, to underlying osteoporosis.

But Mrs Wood said that if Ms Reid had gone to A&E a 2nd clip she whitethorn not person died erstwhile she did.

“During the people of the grounds it became wide that connected some attendances to the exigency section astatine QEQM she had to hold connected a seat arsenic determination were nary beds,” Mrs Wood wrote.

“The archetypal attendance led to specified a mediocre acquisition that she chose not to spell backmost to infirmary erstwhile an ambulance was called connected 31 March 2024.

“Had she gone to infirmary connected 31 March 2024 erstwhile advised to bash truthful it is apt that her pulmonary embolus would person been diagnosed successful the exigency section and treated and she would not person died erstwhile she did.”

She highlighted how, connected some visits, the exigency section was busy, but she was told that “this was not antithetic and the reasons being that beds successful the infirmary are blocked by patients who are medically acceptable for discharge”.

Mrs Wood added: “The grounds heard was that connected mean astir 25% of the infirmary beds were filled with patients who did not request to beryllium determination which successful crook leads to patients who request to beryllium admitted not having a furniture to beryllium admitted into.

“This successful crook leads to patients waiting successful the exigency section for a bed. This places unnecessary unit connected the exigency departments and leads to delays for those seeking exigency treatment.

“The grounds heard suggested that this was a nationalist not section problem.”

She highlighted grounds from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine which links deaths to agelong exigency section waits, adding: “This, successful conjunction with the reluctance of patients to be the exigency section owed to agelong waiting times intelligibly gives emergence to a hazard of aboriginal deaths unless thing is done.”

And “action should beryllium taken to forestall aboriginal deaths and I judge you person the powerfulness to instrumentality specified action”, Mrs Wood said successful the report, which has been sent to Health Secretary Wes Streeting and NHS England brag Amanda Pritchard.

The Department of Health and Social Care and East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the QEQM, person been approached for comment.