An 85-year-old man with Parkinson’s disease was forced to wait in A&E for more than two days without receiving his regular medication and died four weeks later, a report has found.
The pensioner spent 52 hours in an NHS emergency department, 44 of which saw him being cared for on a bed in a corridor because of demands on A&E services.
He was sent to hospital after a routine appointment and during the time he spent at A&E, he needed 18 doses of Parkinson’s medicine.
But only eight doses were given to the patient who was eventually transferred to a ward where his Parkinson’s symptoms deteriorated to the point where he lost the ability to swallow.
He died four weeks after he was admitted to the ward, according to a shocking report by the Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB).
According to the report, the cause of the man’s death included a severe chest infection, Parkinson’s and frailty due to old age.
The report doesn’t name the hospital or the patient, who was complaining of back pain after falling at home, according to the HSSIB.
Deinniol Owens, Deputy Director of Investigations at HSSIB, said: “When patients are in [emergency departments], it is crucial that, alongside any emergency treatment needed, medication they require for other conditions is prioritised.
“The case we examined during this investigation was a sobering example – if patients do not receive medication for their Parkinson’s it can make them seriously unwell, and doses not being given on time increases the risk of harm and reduces the effectiveness of the medication.”
He added in this case the family felt they were not always listened to – despite telling hospital staff about the man’s needs and emphasising how important the correct timing of the dosage was.
Dr Adrian Boyle, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “First and foremost, we extend our deepest condolences to the patient’s family. Their courage in sharing their loved one’s experience via this report is commendable and we sincerely thank them for that.
“What is detailed should serve as a call to action for all emergency department clinicians. No patient who enters an ED should fear their health will be put at risk because they are unable to access their regular prescription when they need it.”
Among its findings, the HSSIB’s report concluded the hospital ED had no dedicated pharmacy support to help staff care for patients with “time critical” medications and staff couldn’t contact the patient’s GP surgery as it was outside its working hours.
Details provided by the man’s son about dosage didn’t match the GP’s record, which was taken by hospital staff as the most accurate, but was in fact incorrect.
A backlog in neurology clinic letters couldn’t be checked by staff either due to a backlog in uploading these to an electronic patient records system, according to the report.
The case serves to further underline the state of urgent National Health Service care, with the latest performance data for the NHS in England showing 49,592 people waited over 12 hours in A&E departments in October from a decision to admit them to being admitted.