Overdose woman Bethany Shipsey died after 'A&E was overwhelmed'
The 21-year-old woman was seen on a trolley in a hospital corridor and was then left for 90 minutes, a doctor tells an inquest.
Wednesday 14 February 2018 16:24, UK
Medics have told an inquest about their "overwhelmed" emergency department where, they say, protocols were not followed and targets were missed on the day a young woman died there after taking an overdose of diet pills. 聽
A Senior Sister who was working at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital last February, said: "It was one of the most challenging shifts we have ever worked."
The patient, Bethany Shipsey, 21, had serious longstanding mental health issues and was on home leave from a psychiatric ward when she took an overdose of diet pills in Worcester last February.
Worcestershire Coroner's Court was told one of Bethany's final messages to a friend on the day she died read: "I have just overdosed... 馃槩 I'm petrified of telling anyone because it is like my 15th overdose 馃槬"
Her parents Doug and Carole Shipsey placed an A4 sized photograph of their daughter in front of them as they listened to the evidence on day one of the inquest - they have previously said that the poor care in the "overstretched" A&E department contributed to their daughter's death.
Bethany was first assessed while she sat on a trolley in a corridor, which Senior A&E Sister Kirsty South told the inquest was something they had to do "everyday" because there simply weren't enough beds in her department.
She explained that the description of being "overwhelmed" related to an official scale whereby the hospital monitored how busy their department was - she said it was not an unusual occurrence.
She confirmed the department failed to meet their target of an initial assessment within fifteen minutes in Ms Shipsey's case.
A&E medic Dr Reza Niroumand, who had only worked a few shifts in the department in Worcester at the time, said it was "one of the busiest days I have ever seen".
He assessed Bethany on the trolley and had initially been satisfied she was stable but admitted he had no experience of the type of diet pills that Bethany told him she had taken.
Dr Niroumand conceded that he then failed to consult the National Poisons Information Service for expert advice.
Ms Shipsey's condition went on to deteriorate just an hour and a half later and she suffered a seizure and cardiac arrest that proved to be fatal.
The Care Quality Commission currently rates the Worcestershire Royal Hospital as "inadequate" and the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust remains in "special measures".
In an earlier statement the Trust said: "This is a tragic case and our condolences are with the family.
"As is common practice with incidents of this nature, we have undertaken a full internal review of this case."
The inquest is due to continue.