Blackpool hospital neglect contributed to suicide of man who waited 22 hours for assist, coroner guidelines | Blackpool

The dying of a 27-year-old man who killed himself in a hospital bathroom after ready 22 hours to be seen by the psychological well being group was “contributed to by neglect”, a coroner has dominated.

Jamie Pearson was admitted to Blackpool Victoria hospital’s A&E division after taking an overdose of high-strength painkillers on 17 August 2024.

An inquest heard that Pearson ought to have been seen inside 4 hours by psychological well being specialists however was deemed low threat and was nonetheless ready 22 hours later when he killed himself in a bathroom.

His mom, Julie Knowles, beforehand informed the Guardian her son was “badly failed and let down” by well being professionals.

Alan Wilson, the senior coroner for Blackpool and Fylde, concluded on Tuesday that Pearson’s dying had been “contributed to by neglect”. He stated the cumulative impact of the missed alternatives to offer psychological well being care “very comfortably” crossed the excessive threshold required for a discovering of neglect.

The inquest heard that the hospital was struggling to handle affected person ranges on the time, with no medical mattress accessible. This meant Pearson was left in a ready space in a single day and into the next day.

A communication breakdown meant that plans weren’t made for psychological well being specialists to see him as a precedence, the coroner was informed.

Knowles, who’s now contemplating authorized motion towards the NHS belief that runs the hospital, stated her son had been “largely ignored” regardless of being “so weak and struggling a breakdown”.

Pearson had informed his mom within the ready room that he nonetheless felt suicidal, so she went to tell a nurse and requested when he can be seen a psychological well being employee. “The nurse then walked over to Jamie along with her fingers on her hips and acknowledged fairly bluntly that he wanted to be medically match earlier than he was referred to the psychological well being group,” she stated.

“I’ll always remember Jamie’s face when that occurred; he seemed completely deflated. He was shot down and talked to appallingly and bluntly, virtually like he was an inconvenience to them.

“I stay satisfied that the perspective of that nurse set him again, as he was already feeling fragile, and I believe her lack of empathy affected him.”

Amy Rossall, of Hudgell Solicitors, stated the inquest had recognized “a string of failings and missed alternatives” to forestall Pearson’s dying.

The inquest at Blackpool coroner’s courtroom heard Pearson was classed as low threat regardless of his earlier suicide try, his criticism in A&E of nonetheless feeling suicidal and his desperation to see a psychological well being employee.

Rossall stated hourly observations of him had been additionally not taken and recorded as they need to have been. She stated: “That is an exceptionally tragic case. Classes could now have been discovered because of this, however that’s little comfort to Jamie’s mom, who believed on the time that he was in secure fingers and in the very best place given the fragility of his psychological state.

“It was clear Jamie was liable to critical hurt having taken an overdose, and tried to ligature. This inquest has highlighted a string of failings and missed alternatives to make sure Jamie was correctly assessed and handled”.

Blackpool Instructing Hospitals, the NHS belief that runs Blackpool Victoria hospital, has been contacted for remark.