Leukaemia patient waited 12 hours in A&E before death
A patient with leukaemia and another who was terminally ill were made to wait at least 12 hours in A&E before they later died.
The cases of 26 patients who waited 12 hours in A&E at Dudley’s Russells Hall Hospital and later died are being reviewed by the NHS trust which runs the site.
Investigations have found the delays did not contribute to the deaths of the patients, but showed the group, described as “frail”, were forced to wait more than half a day before being seen.
Dudley North MP Marco Longhi labelled the long waits “completely unacceptable”.
People should not wait more than four hours in A&E, according to NHS targets.
These cases occurred last December, before the coronavirus pandemic put even more pressure on hospitals.
Those waiting at Russells Hall included a person with acute myeloid leukaemia who had recently been discharged.
Bosses said a junior doctor was “slow to identify the patient had potential neutropenic sepsis”.
Another who had a terminal illness was taken from a care home to hospital where there was a “prolonged delay”. The patient was then “missed” on a ward round.
A report said the review panel “felt the patient received appropriate treatment but the delay was inappropriate due to the known terminal illness”.
Traumatic
Apart from these two cases the panel said the other patients received “adequate or good care”, despite the long waits in A&E, and that there was “no evidence of avoidability in any case”.
Reviews into some cases have been completed while others are still ongoing.
But Mr Longhi said the delays “should not have happened”. He said: “It’s completely unacceptable.
“We must never forget it’s not just about the patients, who must be going through an incredibly traumatic time and perhaps might even know their time is coming to an end.
“What about the relatives and families left behind who have to go through the terrible experience of watching their loved ones die in a less than ideal setting?
"My heart goes out to those who have suffered in this way.
“It should not have happened.”
Diane Wake, chief executive of the Dudley Group NHS Trust, said: “The figures relate to last December. There was a rise in mortality nationally from respiratory cases during winter and we saw a similar rise.
“As part of our assurance we have examined all 12-hour breaches to be assured that the quality of care was appropriate and specifically that no mortality was associated with delays that patients experienced in our emergency department.”