Brighton woman's family slam treatment at Royal Sussex NHS hospital

Tamara Davis, 31, died in intensive care after spending hours in the corridor of an emergency department where she was coughing up blood and suffered from severe diarrhoea, her family said.

Following her death, her sister Miya Davis has described her treatment as “disgusting” and called on more to be done for patients in the future. The NHS Trust that runs the hospital has sent their condolences to the family.

Speaking to The Argus, Miya, 24, said: “I think the treatment was disgusting. Being in the corridor for 12 hours was ridiculous.

“There were so many people in the corridor. I was there for about four hours.

“It was very busy, and some staff were running from place to place just constantly on the move.”

Royal Sussex County Hospital (Image: Andrew Gardner | The Argus)

Miya said that Tamara, from Hollingdean, was initially admitted to hospital on December 10. Her partner drove her to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton having phoned five times for an ambulance.

After being admitted with Tamara coughing up “large amounts of blood”, she was diagnosed with a severe chest infection and was initially treated in a cubicle.

Shortly after, Miya described how her sister’s bed was wheeled into the corridor of the department while Tamara was in the toilet dealing with diarrhoea.

While in the corridor, Miya added that she asked a nurse to change a bedsheet as it had been soiled by diarrhoea but said she was then given a sheet and told she would have to change it herself.

Having spent multiple hours in the corridor, Tamara was eventually admitted to intensive care where she was put on a ventilator, Miya said. After her condition continued to deteriorate, she died on December 13, due to sepsis and multiple organ failure.

'When I knew she was going to die I felt my heart break'

Following her death, Miya paid tribute to her sister as her “best friend”, adding that the pair were “seriously close”.

She added: “When I knew she was going to die I felt my heart break. It’s such a horrible, horrible feeling.

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“She was like my polar opposite. I’m quite timid and shy and then she was so energetic.

“I was the closest to my sister, but my family are all going through it. I would like to see some improvements because I don’t want people to go through what my family is going through.”

Miya said that she had concerns about her sister’s treatment in the emergency department. She added: “That 24 hours could have been crucial to her still being here now. She could still be here, it’s so wrong.”

Tamara’s death in intensive care comes as The Argus revealed that multiple people have died in the corridor of the emergency department at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Multiple emergency doctors revealed that as many as 40 patients at a time have been receiving treatment in a walkway as there is no room in bays and cubicles.

Other cases spoken of inside the hospital include a 75-year-old woman waiting 15 hours to be seen for treatment and one man using a bottle as a urinal in the corridor because there was “nowhere else for him to go”.

Dr Alison Beadsworth, a consultant in the Royal Sussex A&E Department, said: “We have reached the critical point where we know we are not providing safe enough and dignified care and that is unacceptable. To allow it to happen is shameful.”

Dr Alison Beadsworth (Image: Alison Beardsworth)

'Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time'

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust reported that emergency services had recently seen 1,000 patients a day across their hospitals. The trust runs the Royal Sussex, the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath, Worthing Hospital and St Richard's in Chichester.

The pressure comes as NHS emergency departments across the country have told of their struggle to provide treatment, including long waits for ambulance services amid high demand for services.

Royal Sussex County Hospital (Image: Andrew Gardner | The Argus)

Dr Rob Haigh, chief medical officer at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust said: “We send our heartfelt condolences to the family of Miss Davis, and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

"We are sorry for their experience at our hospital, and if Miss Davis' family wish to contact us directly to discuss the concerns they have we would welcome that opportunity."