A disabled woman suffering from a severe asthma attack died after waiting 39 hours in a chair in a busy emergency department for a hospital bed. 13244365
Marina Young, 46, was taken to Royal Preston Hospital in Lancashire suffering from shortness of breath and a headache.
Doctors quickly realized she would need to be admitted, but the hospital was full, with more than 50 people waiting in the emergency room for a bed in a ward.
The staff underestimated the severity of her condition and failed to give her specialist medication or refer her to intensive care or respiratory medicine.
Marina spent two nights in a chair and at around 10am on the second day she was found collapsed, still fully clothed and soaked in her own urine.
Marina Young, 49, pictured with her niece Katie, was taken to Royal Preston Hospital in Lancashire suffering from shortness of breath and a headache.
The staff underestimated the severity of Marina’s condition and failed to give her specialized medications or refer her to critical care or respiratory medicine.
She suffered cardiac arrest and staff attempted to revive her.
But when her sister, Michelle Young, 47, arrived a short time later to drop off some belongings, she received the devastating news that Marina had died.
An internal hospital investigation concluded that Ms Young, who suffered from spina bifida, would not have suffered cardiac arrest if she had received more timely treatment and been referred to senior doctors earlier.
Michelle, a retired hospital ward nurse, told MailOnline: ‘Marina died in horrific circumstances.
“It’s sickening to think that my sister could be treated with such a lack of compassion by the NHS, which is supposed to care for all people, regardless of their physical limitations.”
Marina was diagnosed with spina bifida at birth, a condition that can cause lifelong mobility problems. She was the first baby in the UK to receive a bladder transplant.
Despite his problems, he managed to live independently, could walk short distances and was close to his family.
On the evening of 20 June 2022, Michelle took Marina to the Royal Preston because she was wheezing and suspected she was having an asthma attack.
When they arrived at 7:25 p.m., Michelle explained her sister’s medical history to the nurses and, although she was not allowed to stay because of COVID-19 restrictions, she communicated regularly with her sister through text messages. The messages reveal her growing distress, Michelle said.
One Marina, who was afraid of hospitals because of her experiences as a child, wrote: “I was scared at night, sitting in a chair and having a terrible headache.”
The investigation determined that Marina was seen by a doctor around 9 p.m. and shortly before 11 p.m. on June 20, when the decision was made to admit her to a ward.
But that night A&E was very busy, with 109 people in the department and about half waiting for a bed.
Although Marina was given antibiotics for a suspected infection, there was a delay in administering nebulizers (medications to treat asthma) and blood oxygen tests were not repeated.
Despite her problems, Marina, pictured with her brother Michael and sister Michelle, managed to live independently, could walk short distances and was close to her family.
There was also a delay in her being seen by a specialist doctor and a referral to the hospital’s respiratory team was not made the following day.
Although subsequent tests in the early hours of June 22 showed no improvement in Marina’s condition and that she was suffering from “life-threatening asthma,” her care was never transferred to the hospital’s critical care team.
At around 9.25am on June 22, Marina, from Ribbleton, Lancashire, was examined by a junior doctor, who noticed she was “speaking in short sentences but was visibly out of breath”.
A nurse saw her at 9.44am, but three minutes later she was found slumped in her chair in cardiac arrest.
Doctors tried to revive her but could not save her.
Michelle said she hoped an inquest into Marina’s death, due to take place later this month, would shed light on the way the NHS treats disabled people in the hope that lessons would be learned to prevent other families suffering like hers.
She added: “Losing Marina in such a terrible way has been deeply devastating not only for me but also for our father George, who Marina cared for while he was undergoing cancer treatment and who has sadly since passed away. I believe our father’s death was due to the stress of what happened to Marina.
‘We hope as a family that this investigative process will lead to change and prevent anyone else from going through what we have had to endure.’
Madeleine Langmead, a medical negligence solicitor at JMW, who is representing Marina’s family at the inquest, said: ‘Marina was a much-loved sister and daughter and her death has had a catastrophic impact on her family.
‘Nothing can bring Marina back, but it is vital that she is given a voice and her care is examined.
Marina was a vulnerable patient and her case could have broader implications for patient safety.
The firm will also assess whether any legal claim for compensation can be made against the hospital.
A spokesman for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, which runs Royal Preston, said: ‘The Trust would like to offer its sincere condolences to Marina Young’s family and friends.
“We welcome the coroner’s independent scrutiny and are committed to any further learning that develops as a result of the investigation.”
Marina spent two nights in a chair and, at around 10 a.m. on the second day, she was found collapsed, still fully clothed and soaked in her own urine.
A spokesman for University Hospitals of Lancashire, which runs Royal Preston, said: “The Trust would like to offer its sincere condolences to the family and friends of Marina Young. “We welcome the coroner’s independent scrutiny and look forward to any further information that develops as a result of the inquest.”
Long waits in emergency departments have been linked to excess deaths and greater harm to patients as their condition can deteriorate before they are admitted or given a bed on a ward.
In 2022, 23,003 people died after spending at least 12 hours in A&E waiting for care or to be admitted to a bed, according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), which equates to roughly one person every 23 minutes.
Earlier this year, Inga Rublite, 39, died after being found unconscious under a coat on the floor of a hospital emergency department, where she had been for eight hours.
Staff at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham had called her name three times but when she did not respond, they assumed she had gone and discharged her. She had suffered a brain haemorrhage.