A woman died days after a seizure caused “significant, irreversible” brain damage while she waited in A&E, an inquest has heard.
Inga Rublite, 39, was found unconscious and appearing to be having a seizure under her coat in the Queen’s Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham on 20 January 2024.
Staff discovered her “tucked behind a door” and “seemingly asleep” under her coat.
The inquest was told that there were “missed opportunities” to check on the mother of two, during the eight hours that she waited in the crowded A&E waiting room.
On 19 January, Ms Rublite had called 111 after getting a sudden headache, neck pain and blurry vision. She had described it as feeling like she was “hit by a brick”. She was advised by a clinician on the phone to go to hospital.
She arrived at 10:30pm and staff called out three times for her in A&E and called her mobile phone. She wasn’t found until 7am the next day.
Nottinghamshire coroner Elizabeth Didcock said: “There were three opportunities for the headache to be recognised as something more dangerous than it was thought to be.”
Emergency department matron, Luke Derby, said that it was “reasonable” that staff would have walked past the place where Ms Rublite was sat, but would not have been “physically seen” by the person calling for her.
Mr Derby also said it was “not unusual” to see people with coats over their heads, especially at night. He said the chairs have now been moved so people can’t sit where they can’t be seen from the navigator’s desk.
Ms Didcock said: “I’m aware from the investigation report that there was significant crowding and additional numbers of people.”
A&E consultant at the QMC, Dr Robert Jamieson, said: “As soon as you start to put all these targets in and look at the number of staff to do it, it becomes unachievable.
“There was an opportunity missed to see how she was, how the pain was and how she appeared, but that didn’t happen.
“Unfortunately, Inga was sat there, and she was missed.
“We have talked about lots of options and the investigation has talked about lots of options in terms of checking who’s in the area and managing the space.”
The inquest continues.