When Tom Frith walked into an “overrun” A&E division, he was affected by flu-like signs and confusion, was unsteady on his toes and was struggling together with his speech.
His spouse Julia mentioned he was rushed by way of triage, however the one mattress accessible was in a hall – the place he stayed, together with his situation worsening, for nearly two days.
His household was advised he couldn’t have a significant MRI scan as a result of it was the weekend. Per week later, he was lastly identified with the lethal mind an infection encephalitis; nonetheless, by then, the harm had been achieved. Tom died, aged 66, on 27 July 2025, having suffered mind harm from swelling and a stroke attributable to the situation.
His story comes amid repeated issues from main medical doctors over the disaster dealing with A&Es as under-pressure emergency departments run out of beds to deal with sufferers.
The latest NHS information for England, printed in February, confirmed 192,168 individuals (13 per cent) waited 12 hours to be seen, handled or discharged, from the time they arrived at A&E, in January – a report excessive since this information was first printed in February 2023.
A 12 months earlier than he died, Tom had retired however lived an lively life, spending his days on motorbiking holidays together with his spouse and tending his vegetable patch.
All that modified on Saturday, 14 June, when he was so unwell he went to Leighton Hospital A&E, run by Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Basis Belief, for assist.
Julia, from Knutsford, advised The Unbiased her husband had “each symptom of encephalitis” – which impacts round 6,000 individuals within the UK every year, and contains flu-like signs, lack of consciousness, complications, reminiscence issues, and behavioural adjustments.
“He was delirious, he had flu-like signs, He had an enormous temperature. He was confused; he didn’t know who he was. He couldn’t swallow the [paracetamol] tablets.”
Julia mentioned the emergency division was “overrun” once they visited, and claimed she was advised by workers that they have been anticipating 40 individuals in A&E that day, however had 120.
Tom Frith loved happening motorbiking holidays together with his spouse (household handout – Leigh day)
She mentioned: “There wasn’t a bit of that [A&E] that didn’t have a affected person in it. There wasn’t a bit of these majors or triage that didn’t have a physique in it, both on a chair, a mattress, or on the ground. The poor workers, they have been, overrun.”
Julia mentioned her husband was positioned in a hall, the place she watched him “deteriorate”. Tom was ultimately seen by a physician, some eight hours later, however was not given a hospital mattress till Monday morning.
“There was an 86-year-old who had been there for 33 hours. It was simply appalling. I used to be looking out personal hospital to see if I might get him taken out.
Julia recalled: “I left the hospital for an hour on the Sunday afternoon… and after I got here again my husband was stood by his mattress, he’d ripped off his identification band and he was carrying his denims and he had moist himself and I turned a nurse who was passing and I mentioned, ‘what is that this? This isn’t care’.
“I cleaned him up, bought him sorted, and bought him one other wristband. Took him again to his mattress within the hall, and there was somebody in his mattress; they’d put somebody in his mattress. He was there for one more 18 hours.”
Regardless of suspecting he had suffered a stroke, Julia was advised her husband couldn’t have an MRI to find out if that was the case as a result of it was the weekend, and there have been no beds at a close-by hospital, which has a specialist neurology service.
Tom Frith in Leighton Hospital A&E hall (household handout – Leigh day)
Tragically, Tom’s situation worsened, and he was ultimately admitted to crucial care and put into an induced coma and on a ventilator. It was not till the Friday after he was first admitted to A&E that the hospital began very important medicine to deal with encephalitis.
“They confirmed on Saturday that it was encephalitis, however the harm was achieved. He was having outward seizures for 2 weeks,” Julia mentioned.
After a number of weeks of remedy, Julia mentioned she was suggested that Tom’s situation was extremely unlikely to enhance. He was placed on palliative care and died just a few days afterward 27 July 2025. Julia is now taking authorized motion towards the belief.
Tom Frith sought assistance on 14 June 2025, and died weeks later, on 27 July (household handout – Leigh Day)
Leigh Day solicitor Zoe Donohue, who represents Julia, mentioned: “The ordeal that Tom went by way of within the lead as much as his loss of life was a horrible one. In instructing me, Julia is hoping to find out whether or not extra might have been achieved to assist Tom, and if a faster prognosis might have given him a stronger probability of survival.
“Julia can be hoping to lift consciousness of encephalitis, guaranteeing that extra is extensively identified concerning the signs and tips on how to detect the situation early on, to assist others keep away from the terrible set of circumstances she has skilled.”
Dr Clare Hammell, chief medical officer and deputy chief government for Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Basis Belief, mentioned: “Our ideas are with Mr Frith’s household and family members, and we’re very sorry for the misery they’ve skilled.
“As a authorized declare has now been issued, it will not be acceptable for the belief to touch upon the particular circumstances of Mr Frith’s care or the allegations which have been raised.”
Nonetheless, the belief mentioned it takes any issues about affected person security extraordinarily significantly and is cooperating with the authorized course of.
“We frequently overview studying from incidents, complaints, and claims to assist us enhance care, together with ongoing training and coaching for employees to assist the popularity and administration of uncommon however severe circumstances.”