Coventry Hospital: Man, 84, died on trolley ‘after six-hour wait’
Donald Driver’s daughter says he was ignored by staff as he lay seriously ill in a corridor. …
Image copyright Emma Driver The daughter of a man who died in a hospital corridor after six hours on a trolley said he may still be alive if her pleas for help were acted on.
Emma Driver said her 84-year-old father, Donald, was only seen by nurses at University Hospital Coventry when he slid off the trolley he was left on.
He died moments later, shortly before 01:00 BST on 14 October.
The hospital trust said it was “investigating this matter thoroughly” and was in contact with the family.
Ms Driver called for paramedics at about 18:00 the day before, a Sunday, when her father was complaining of stomach pain, with symptoms similar to a stomach ulcer he had previously suffered with.
She told the BBC it was “extremely busy” when they arrived at the hospital and it was 90 minutes before paramedics could hand him over to hospital staff.
Mr Driver was left to wait on a trolley in the corridor, his daughter said, and still had not been seen by midnight, despite her asking for help multiple times.
He became increasingly unwell and, at about 00:30 on the Monday morning, started to vomit before sliding off the trolley.
“As he lay down and I saw his face, I knew he was gone,” Ms Driver said. Her father was pronounced dead at 00:59.
“My dad was my world,” she said. “Although he was elderly, he wasn’t dying.”
Ms Driver criticised hospital staff, saying: “I have lost my dad because of them.”
“I believe had my father been prioritised, or I had been listened to and taken seriously then my father would still be here.”
In a statement, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Trust offered “sincere and heartfelt sympathies to Mr Driver’s family and friends at this sad and difficult time”.
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