A&E death shows NHS is completely broken, says MP

An MP has said the NHS is "completely broken" following complaints by a family over a 34-year-old man's sudden death in hospital.

Thomas Casey collapsed on a waiting room floor at the accident and emergency (A&E) department in Broomfield Hospital near Chelmsford, on Friday, and died shortly after.

His son said the family repeatedly told staff he was having a heart attack and said requests for a screen to protect his dignity were initially refused.

Marie Goldman, Liberal Democrat MP for Chelmsford, said she would hold the hospital trust to account - which has sent its condolences to Mr Casey's family and said his care was being investigated.

Goldman called for "a full and very swift investigation… into what happened so that we can learn lessons for the future".

"This is a system that I don't think we can describe as anything other than completely broken," she told BBC Essex's Sonia Watson.

Goldman said she and other Essex MPs held a meeting with representatives of the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) - which runs Broomfield Hospital - last week.

"One of the things that desperately needs to change [across the trust] is the culture," she said.

"I think what we're seeing here is a symptom of [staff] just being so overwhelmed and so unsupported by hospital management that all of this has kind of been normalised."

Goldman said she applauded NHS staff for the work they did, but emphasised the importance for "compassion" towards patients and those who witnessed upsetting incidents.

It was important to give new leadership at the trust time to implement changes, the MP explained, but she said she would hold "the trust to account" to ensure any recommendations following Casey's death were implemented.

Dawn Scrafield started as chief executive of the trust in November.

The MP added that although many constituents had contacted her with concerns since Friday, people should still go to A&E for any emergency health issues.

Casey's son - also called Thomas - told the BBC that his father lay on the floor of the A&E waiting room clutching his chest in pain.

Two eyewitnesses said they also requested for a screen be positioned to shield Casey from view.

"They didn't care about him, they left him like a dog rolling around on the floor. It was inhumane… it was negligence at the highest degree," said Thomas Jr.

Thomas Jr said he felt both he and his father were discriminated against by hospital staff because of their traveller heritage.

Christine Blanshard, chief medical officer at MSEFT, said: "Our condolences go out to the patient's family.

"We are investigating the care he received and are in close contact with the family to discuss their concerns."

The trust said Essex Coroner's Service had been informed about Casey's death.

Leadership at MSEFT was rated "inadequate" by the Care Quality Commission in November after staff morale was found to be among the lowest in the country.

Inspectors found "persistent" safety failures at the trust, and a poor behavioural culture.

However, the CQC report said the trust recognised the challenges it faced and leaders showed awareness of the improvements needed.

At the time, a spokesperson said it was "deeply sorry for having failed our patients and staff".

Following a high-level summit in December about the quality and safety of care at MSEFT, NHS England is holding regular meetings with the trust to address concerns.

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