NHS crisis: Family’s anger after death of woman forced to wait in ambulance for 15 hours outside A&E department
The family of a woman who died after being forced to wait for 15 hours in an ambulance outside an A&E department say they are angry and want answers.
Marie Shenton, 70, died at Torbay Hospital, South Devon, following the long delay. She had been kept outside despite paramedics warning staff her condition was worsening.
Mrs Shenton’s sister, Bridget Haynes, told Sky News: “My sister’s dead because she was in an ambulance for 15 hours and that’s not right. That’s just not right.”
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‘I want some answers’
She added: “To die the way she did, it wasn’t humane. You wouldn’t let the dog suffer like that.”
Mrs Shenton’s family called an ambulance on 27 November 2022 because she had begun vomiting blood.
They say her case was treated as a category one emergency and an ambulance responded quickly and took her to Torbay Hospital.
But it was there the long wait began.
“She was vomiting blood and the paramedics went in and told the staff what was happening,” her sister said. “They sent a nurse out to take a blood test.
“Then Marie wanted to go to the toilet and they took her to the toilet and she was just passing pure blood so paramedics told staff again, but nobody came.”
‘She bled to death’
At the start of Mrs Shenton’s time in the ambulance, family members were able to speak to her on the phone, Mrs Haynes said.
“She was chatting, she was laughing and joking… talking about Christmas,” she said.
Mrs Shenton pictured with her husband just days before she fell ill
But by the time she was finally admitted into hospital, her condition had significantly deteriorated.
Mrs Haynes said: “She was just mumbling. And all she kept saying was, ‘thank you, thank you, sorry, thank you’. That’s all she kept saying.”
The hospital eventually found a bed for Mrs Shenton but her health did not improve. On 30 November, the family got a call to say her condition had deteriorated. When they arrived they were told she had fallen out of bed.
She passed away later that afternoon.
‘I am just so angry about it’
“She bled to death,” Mrs Haynes said. “It shouldn’t have happened. I am just so angry about it. I just want some answers.
“I want to know why my sister fell out of bed for a start, and why in this day and age – 15 hours in an ambulance? We’re like a third-world country. And we’re one of the richest countries going and this is happening. It’s not right.”
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Reflecting on her own career as a healthcare assistant, Mrs Haynes said: “I worked for the NHS for 37 years up until 2017 and I can’t believe what’s happening. I can’t believe it. It’s scary, very scary.
“The government have got to do something. They can’t just keep letting this happen.”
The family say the paramedics who cared for Mrs Shenton “were absolutely brilliant” and “did everything they could”.
But they are angry with Torbay Hospital.
‘We don’t want anyone waiting in an ambulance longer than necessary’
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust’s medical director Ian Currie said: “We would like to send our heartfelt condolences to Mrs Shenton’s family.
“We cannot comment on individual cases due to patient confidentiality but remain in contact with her next of kin.
“We don’t want anyone waiting in an ambulance longer than necessary and all patients arriving at our emergency department are triaged and assessed, with the most clinically urgent being prioritised.
“We work closely with South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust to make sure everyone waiting in an ambulance is robustly assessed, monitored, and their care is escalated and prioritised appropriately.”
Health systems under pressure
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Across the UK, Europe and internationally, health systems are seeing a significant impact on operational performance due to the impact of the pandemic, the rapid spike in flu, Strep A and the ongoing high levels of COVID.
“That’s why, as I set out this week, we’re taking urgent action to ease pressures on A&E, including investing an additional £200m to get medically fit patients out of hospital quicker and boost the social care workforce, on top of our £500m discharge fund, creating the equivalent of 7,000 more beds through innovations like virtual wards, and putting £50m towards expanding capacity in emergency departments through new discharge lounges and ambulance hubs.”
A man has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the ship collision in the North Sea.
Humberside Police said the 59-year-old is in custody to allow enquiries to take place, and officers are talking to those involved to find out what happened.
The force added investigators have started a criminal probe into the cause of the collision between the Stena Immaculate and Solong off the coast of East Yorkshire on Monday, and are working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
Ernst Russ, the owner of Solong, later confirmed the man detained was the ship’s captain. The shipping firm called him “the master of the ship” – which is understood to be the same as a captain.
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Sky News above North Sea ship collision
One person remains missing and is presumed dead after emergency services stopped their search on Monday evening.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is also involved in early work to determine what caused the two vessels to collide.
Read more: What we know about the collision
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Map shows moment of collision in North Sea
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson, said: “Humberside Police have taken primacy for the investigation of any potential criminal offences which arise from the collision between the two vessels.
“Extensive work has already been carried out, and we are working closely with our partners to understand what happened, and to provide support to all of those affected.
“Following enquiries undertaken by my team, we have arrested a 59-year-old man on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision, this follows the conclusion of search operations by HM Coastguard for the missing crew member of the SOLONG.”
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North Sea: Sailor presumed dead
He added: “Our thoughts are with the family of the missing crew member, and I have appointed family liaison officers to make contact and provide support to the family.
“The man arrested remains in custody at this time whilst enquiries are under way, and we continue speaking with all those involved to establish the full circumstances of the incident.”
Ernst Russ added in a later statement that it could confirm the master of the Solong “has been detained by Humberside Police in the UK”.
“The master and our entire team are actively assisting with the investigations,” the shipping firm said.
“Out of respect for the investigation and all involved we will not comment further at this time.”
Read more:
Oil tanker collision could have lethal ecological impact
Sky News above North Sea ship collision
HM Coastguard said in an update that the Solong is still alight
US tanker Stena Immaculate was anchored off the coast of East Yorkshire when the Solong crashed into it at around 9.45am on Monday.
Some 36 people were brought safely to the shore, but one person was reported missing from the cargo ship.
At least one tank of Jet-A1 fuel onboard the Stena Immaculate was ruptured, its operator said
At around 11.20pm, the Solong started to drift southwards away from the crash site. HM Coastguard said in an update earlier on Tuesday that the ship is still alight.
Tugboats are in the vicinity to ensure it remains away from the coast
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the container ship is expected to stay afloat, after a minister told parliament that it could sink earlier in the day.
She said she met with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s chief executive Virginia McVea, and was “pleased to have been informed that early indications suggest that both vessels are now expected to stay afloat”.
Ernst Russ also denied reports the vessel was carrying sodium cyanide and said: “There are four empty containers that have previously contained the hazardous chemical.
“These containers will continue to be monitored.”
Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel in 16 tanks, at least one of which was ruptured, its operator also said.
UK
Triple killer Kyle Clifford will serve whole-life sentence for murdering BBC commentator’s family
Triple killer Kyle Clifford has been handed a whole-life sentence for murdering his ex-girlfriend, her mother and her sister.
Warning: This article contains distressing details.
The sentence imposed by Mr Justice Bennathan means he will never be released.
The former soldier, 26, admitted murdering BBC racing commentator John Hunt’s wife Carol Hunt, 61, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
He also pleaded guilty to false imprisonment of his former partner Louise, as well as possession of the crossbow used to kill her and her sister, and the 10-inch butcher’s knife he stabbed their mother to death with.
Louise Hunt
Pic: Facebook
Clifford denied raping Louise, who had broken up with him 13 days before the four-hour attack in the Hunt family home on 9 July last year.
But he was found guilty by a jury last week after a trial at Cambridge Crown Court, which he refused to attend, prompting police and prosecutors to brand him a “coward”.
The judge paid tribute “to the astonishing dignity and courage” of the victims’ family, including John Hunt and his surviving daughter Amy, who hugged after the sentence.
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Footage shows Clifford fleeing the Hunt family home
They, along with Hannah’s partner Alex Klein, had read emotional victim impact statements in court as Mr Hunt said hell would roll out the “red carpet” for him.
He said the evidence showed Clifford “to be a jealous man, soaked in self-pity – a man who holds women in utter contempt”.
The court heard Clifford, from Enfield, north London, began planning the murders after Louise ended their 18-month relationship in a message on 26 June.
Carol Hunt pictured with her husband John Hunt.
Pic: Facebook
He tricked his way inside before stabbing her mother to death in what prosecutors said was a “brutal knife attack”, then lay in wait for an hour for Louise to enter the house.
Clifford held her for more than two hours, as he restrained her with duct tape and raped her, then shot her through the chest with a crossbow moments before her sister Hannah got home and was also killed.
He fled the scene and shot himself with the weapon as armed police descended and is now paralysed from the chest down.
The recovered crossbow.
Pic: Hertfordshire Police
The 10-inch butcher’s knife Clifford used was never found but police released an image of the packaging.
Pic: PA
The judge told Clifford, who didn’t attend his sentencing hearing, he went to the Hunt family home to launch “a murderous attack” on his ex-girlfriend’s family.
“You first killed her mother Carol, who even on that day showed you nothing but kindness in the moments before you attacked her,” he said.
“You raped and killed Louise who had been as gentle as she could in ending her relationship with you, after your arrogance and anger proved too much for her to stand.
“Then you murdered Hannah Hunt, who had done nothing to harm you save supporting her little sister.”
The jury wasn’t told Clifford had searched for Andrew Tate’s podcast less than 24 hours before the murders.
Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC said “it is no coincidence” he turned to the “poster boy for misogynists – a poster boy for those who view women as possession to be controlled” the night before committing such “acts of violence against women”.
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