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Although Worcestershire Royal Hospital had a ‘robust plan’ to deal with an extremely busy period in its Accident and Emergency Department, three patients have reportedly died. This includes one woman, who died of a heart attack after waiting approximately 35 hours in the hospital corridor, and a man, who suffered an aneurysm.

Reports suggest that there has been an increase in patient numbers, which has resulted in a third of hospital Trusts in England warning that urgent action is needed to cope. It has also been suggested that, during the run-up to Christmas, seven Trusts had to declare the highest level of emergency fifteen times, meaning they were unable to provide patients with comprehensive care.

A spokesperson for Worcestershire Royal Hospital said: “We can confirm that both of our A&E departments experienced an extremely busy Christmas and New Year period, and these pressures are continuing. We have robust plans to deal with such demand and partners across the NHS have supported us in ensuring that patient safety and emergency care [are] maintained.

“These pressures have unfortunately led to patients waiting longer than we would aim for. However, all A&E patients continue to be seen and treated in order of clinical priority. Our focus continues to be on providing safe emergency care.”

The hospital has declined to comment on individual cases, citing patient confidentiality.

According to an article published in the Guardian, Pauline, 66, had been required to wait for 54 hours on a hospital trolley in an A&E corridor at Worcestershire Royal hospital after suffering a stroke. Her husband, John Freeman described the experience as “horrendous”.

He has been quoted saying the following in the article:

“My wife woke me up at 4.30am and said she couldn’t feel her left side,” he said. “The ambulance was there in record time and she was on a trolley at the hospital by 5.30am. And there she stayed.”

“The nurses were brilliant. They did all they could, but the place was in meltdown. It was manic. At times the corridors were three trolleys deep. There were at least 20 people on trolleys for much of the time."

“It was very difficult to manoeuvre around them. A porter told me they were putting some patients in a decontamination room – basically a big shower room – to cram in more beds. They ran out of pillows and blankets.”

Robin Walker, Worcester MP, has expressed his concern about the situation and is seeking an urgent meeting with the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt.

Divya Anand, Clinical Negligence Solicitor at Duncan Lewis, states the following:

“Accident and Emergency Departments are often extremely busy during the festive period and whilst every effort is made to ensure patients are seen quickly, there are times where some are kept waiting for hours without treatment. This can be disastrous as there are many conditions, such as strokes and heart attacks which need to be treated promptly as time is of the essence. Fortunately, many Trusts have put a plan in place and acknowledged the level of urgency in providing emergency care during festive periods but sadly for some, this continues to be an ongoing problem.”

Divya Anand is a solicitor in the Clinical Negligence Department at Duncan Lewis. She has experience in a variety of clinical negligence claims, including, but not limited to, orthopaedic claims, amputation claims, birth injury claims and spinal injury claims. Her passion, focus and experience make her an invaluable member of the DL Clinical Negligence team.

Please note that limitation periods apply to clinical negligence claims. Usually there is a three year limitation period that applies from the date of the negligent act. In some instances, it can run from the date you became aware of the negligent act. You must ensure that court proceedings are commenced before the expiry of the limitation period that applies to your case or you will almost certainly lose the right to pursue your claim (as the Court only allows claimants to bring claims after the limitation period expires in very exceptional cases).

For expert legal advice on Medical Negligence Claims, call Duncan Lewis clinical negligence solicitors on 0333 772 0409.