5 days ago
Grandad ‘suffocated to death' on trolley in front of his wife and daughter in ‘chaotic' A&E corridor after 18-hour wait
GRAHAM Millward "suffocated to death" on a trolley in an A&E corridor in front of his wife and daughter.
The grandad had been deprived of oxygen at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital following an 18-hour wait outside in an ambulance receiving area.
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"My father did not deserve this," Paula Millward, 60, said. "He was deprived of a dignified passing and I was forced to watch him take his final breaths."
An inquest heard the 87-year-old had been admitted to the hospital on January 9 this year after paramedics were called to his nursing home in Wellington, Shropshire.
But on arrival at the hospital, there was no room on a ward, so Graham was forced to wait in the ambulance receiving area for a shocking 18 hours.
Paula, from Telford said when he was finally taken to A&E, there was still no cubicle ready and staff failed to attach his oxygen properly, leaving him "gasping for air."
The retired welder never made it onto a ward for further treatment and died on a hospital trolley inside the busy A&E department.
Paula said she was then forced to watch her dad's final gasps for air after bungling hospital staff failed to reattach his oxygen.
She said the distress the event has caused is "unforgivable."
"He had been poorly and he had been in and out of hospital, but we fully expected him to be coming home and the hospital report confirmed he should have," she explained.
"He spent an hour on the ambulance on arrival before being taken to the ambulance receiving area, which is basically a glorified porter cabin.
"He was given oxygen, but when he was finally moved 18 hours later, they didn't attach the pipe properly and he still had the face mask on, so it restricted his breathing more.
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"He should have been taken to resus, but instead he was taken to a cubicle, which was already occupied.
"So instead he was in a corridor surrounded by chaos in a busy A&E department, with no dignity at all.
"I said to a nurse 'Is my dad OK?' and she took one look at him and said they needed to get screens around him straight away.
"We basically had to watch him gasping for air before he suffocated to death in front of us.
She added: "My sister and his granddaughter who live away were robbed of the time to get to him.
"He was a lovely family man and very popular. So many people turned out for his funeral but the way he was treated was unforgivable."
Shropshire Coroner's Court heard Graham's death was "more likely than not" sped up by a lack of oxygen therapy.
How oxygen therapy works and why it's critical
Oxygen therapy is a medical treatment that provides extra oxygen to patients who have difficulty breathing or low blood oxygen levels.
It helps ensure vital organs like the brain and heart receive enough oxygen to function properly.
Oxygen is usually delivered through masks or nasal tubes connected to oxygen tanks or hospital pipelines.
Proper fitting and continuous delivery are essential because even brief interruptions or poor attachment can leave patients gasping for air.
For people with conditions like pneumonia, chronic lung disease, or severe infections, oxygen therapy can be life-saving.
Delays or failures in providing oxygen increase the risk of serious complications and can hasten death, making it a critical part of hospital care.
Source: NHS and British Thoracic Society
The grandfather-of-one had been "in and out" of Princess Royal Hospital and had a number of medical conditions, including pneumonia.
But his death was "hastened" due to the failure to provide oxygen, meaning they were "robbed" of the chance to say their goodbyes.
'Hastened his passing'
A statement from a doctor at the hospital was read to the coroner's court.
He said there was a failure to deliver oxygen therapy when it should have been given, and that it was "more likely than not" the error would have caused Graham's "distress" and "hastened his passing".
John Ellery, senior coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, recorded a narrative conclusion that Graham's death was of natural causes, hastened with additional distress.
Dr John Jones, medical director at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust, said: "We would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Graham and apologise for the care he received.
"We are committed to providing the best possible care and we are taking action to address the findings of a full internal investigation, including a review of the staff training for the transfer of patients receiving bottled oxygen.
