Dad Thomas Casey, 34, died at Broomfield Hospital in Essex on Friday – his son says Mr Casey was left in ‘agonising’ pain and then ‘like a dog rolling around on the floor’
A man was left “like a dog rolling around on the floor” and died after collapsing in the A&E waiting room at an NHS hospital, his son has claimed.
Thomas Casey, 34, passed away at Broomfield Hospital in Essex on Friday after presenting with what his son alleges was an obvious cardiovascular issue. Mr Casey’s son, Thomas Jr, said his dad was told to wait and handed painkillers. He claims he told hospital staff “you’re going to kill him”.
Thomas Jr said his father was in “agonising” pain in front of the rest of the waiting room. He said he asked for a screen to be put up for his father’s “dignity because he was a very proud man”.
He told the BBC: “But the doctor looked at me and said, ‘Tell [the other patients] to look the other way then’.” He added: “They didn’t care about him. They left him like a dog rolling around on the floor. It was inhumane.”
The grieving son, 19, said his father was given CPR by medical staff on the floor of the waiting room. His father was then moved through a room next to the waiting room, where he was declared dead.
He said he will never forget the “gruesome sight of my father on the floor, blue in the face with white froth dripping from his mouth”. The care Mr Casey received is being investigated by NHS Mid and South Essex.
The organisation has invited the deceased dad’s family to meet with senior management. Chelmsford MP Marie Goldman, meanwhile, has written to the hospital and called the incident “deeply distressing”.
“Given the severity of this incident, there is understandable concern about what immediate action is being taken to protect patients,” Ms Goldman, a Liberal Democrat, wrote.
Thomas Jr, said his father, described as a “mini humanitarian” who grew up in the Tottenham area of London, had gone to Basildon Hospital the day before, but went home after a wait of seven hours.
Now, he says he thinks hospital staff discriminated against his family because they were from the traveller community. The Mirror has approached NHS Mid and South Essex for comment.
Christine Blanshard, the chief medical officer at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our condolences go out to the patient’s family.
“We will be investigating the care he received and inviting his family to meet with us and discuss their concerns.”
