Dylan Jones, 28, tragically died five days before Christmas at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after waiting two hours for an ambulance and then 13 hours in the A&E department before his ruptured spleen was discovered
A young father tragically lost his life after enduring a 15-hour wait for an ambulance and subsequent treatment in A&E.
Dylan Jones, a 28-year-old father of three, sadly passed away at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on 20 December. Dylan, who had been battling cirrhosis of the liver, was admitted to the hospital ten days prior when he fell ill suddenly whilst at work.
The fibre engineer from Loanhead in Midlothian started suffering from excruciating pain in his side and promptly dialled 999. After waiting two hours for an ambulance, he was swiftly transported to the emergency department.
Once there, he was left on a trolley in a corridor where, according to his family, he waited an additional 13 hours for an MRI scan.
By the time he was finally seen, it was discovered that his spleen had ruptured and he had been slowly bleeding internally.
Medical staff rushed Dylan into surgery and managed to stabilise him by halting the bleeding, placing him on a ventilator, and administering several blood transfusions, reports the Daily Record.
However, his family report that by this stage, his organs were severely compromised and he was critically ill. The young dad passed away just five days before Christmas.
In their grief, Dylan’s relatives have expressed their outrage, firmly believing that a more prompt response from both the ambulance service and A&E staff could have saved his life.
His cousin, Billielea Porter, 32, told the Record: “By the time Dylan was eventually scanned and operated on, his body was so gone that he just wasn’t going to be able to make a full recovery.
“From the offset, medics would have known about his liver condition. He should never have been left to lie on a trolley like that for all that time.
“He fought so hard, but if he had been seen sooner, he would still be alive today and his children would still have their dad.”
Due to Dylan’s cirrhosis – a severe liver damage – the high pressure on his portal vein had backed up into his spleen, causing it to enlarge.
Medical journals indicate that cirrhosis significantly heightens the risk of spleen complications, leading to intense abdominal pain, shock, rupture and high mortality if not treated promptly.
Dylan’s cause of death was confirmed as liver failure, spleen rupture and a genetic condition called Jeune Syndrome, which he had been diagnosed with at birth.
Billielea stated: “When his spleen ruptured, it would have had a big impact on his liver and by the time they got his internal bleeding under control, his liver had already started to fail.
“Given that they would have known of the cirrhosis of his liver, why wasn’t he seen for 13 hours? How did they fail to spot that his spleen had ruptured and that he was bleeding inside?”.
“He was left to lie on a trolley in a corridor for hours on end, when they could have used that time to save his life.”
Dylan was remembered as a “great dad” who “lit up every room he walked in”.
Billielea shared her memories of him, saying: “Dylan was always laughing and joking, you were never sad when he was around. He lit up every room he walked in.”
“He was so full of life and was a great dad to his three young kids. We’re all heartbroken without him.”
Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie labelled Dylan’s premature death as a “scandal” amidst a healthcare crisis in Scotland.
The MSP said: “This heartbreaking case shows us the true cost of the crisis in our NHS and my thoughts are with Dylan’s family. It is a scandal that young parents are losing their lives while waiting for emergency healthcare on the SNP’s watch and its devastating for their family.
“While John Swinney and Neil Gray insist things are going well in our NHS, in our hospitals, Scots are still paying the price for SNP failure.”
“This complacent SNP government has made it clear it cannot fix the problems in our NHS and cannot be trusted with a third decade in charge”.
“Scots need an NHS that they can rely on and a government committed to delivering that.”
Tracey Gillies, Medical Director, NHS Lothian responded to the tragic incident, saying: “We apologise for the length of wait Mr Jones experienced at AandE and extend our sincere condolences to his family.”
“However, Mr Jones sadly died following ten days in intensive care and multiple interventions for a long standing and serious illness.”
“We encourage his family to contact us directly to discuss any concerns they have with his care.”
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the family of Dylan Jones at this unimaginably difficult time. I would also like to make clear that it is not acceptable that Mr Jones waited so long in A&E.
“Excessively long waits are not acceptable and I apologise to all patients who are waiting too long.
“We are determined to do more and we want everyone to receive the best possible care and treatment. We are working closely with NHS Boards to improve patient flow, reduce waiting times for emergency care and diagnostic tests and ensure they have the support needed to manage peaks in demand this winter.”
A representative for the Scottish Ambulance Service stated: “We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the patient’s family. “While we are unable to comment on individual cases, we would encourage the family to contact our Patient Experience Team at a suitable time so we can discuss the actions taken based on the information provided during the 999 calls.
“Any learning identified through our engagement with the family will be fully implemented.”
An online fundraiser has since been established to cover the costs of Dylan’s funeral and to support his three young children. You can donate to it here.
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