February 10th 2024.
As she sat in the crowded A&E waiting room at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, the woman began to feel her consciousness slipping away. She had arrived late on January 19, seeking help for a severe headache. Despite being triaged and seen by nurses three times, she had yet to see a doctor. When her name was finally called, no one responded. The staff assumed she had left due to the long wait, but she was eventually found unresponsive, hidden under her coat on a chair.
Panicked, the medical team rushed her to intensive care, but it was too late. Three days later, on January 22, the 39-year-old mother of two passed away. It was later discovered that she had suffered a haemorrhage. The tragic incident prompted Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, which oversees Queen's Medical Centre, to launch an investigation.
According to a source familiar with the hospital, the A&E department can often have up to 80 patients waiting for care, with wait times sometimes stretching up to 14 hours. Dr. Keith Girling, the medical director at NUH, expressed his condolences to the family and stated that an investigation, involving the family, will be conducted.
The recent release of NHS figures has revealed a concerning trend - the number of people waiting in A&E for more than 12 hours in England has risen by almost 25% compared to January 2023. This alarming statistic has prompted The Royal College of Emergency Medicine to call it a "national shame" that nearly 400,000 patients spent 24 hours or more in A&E in England just last year.
As for the woman who tragically lost her life while waiting for care, she was a loving mother and her death has left her family devastated. The hospital is working to determine what exactly went wrong and how they can prevent such a tragedy from happening again in the future. Until the investigation is concluded, they are unable to provide further comment.
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