A 73-year-old man died alone in a hospital side room after his breathing tube became detached and his appeals for help went unanswered.
The man was admitted to hospital with coronavirus in December 2020, the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) said. The married father of six was given oxygen but levels of the gas in his blood repeatedly dropped below correct levels, so medics attached a breathing machine called a CPAP. The device produces positive pressure through a tube and mask, but is non-invasive.
At the time of the man’s death, nurses on his ward had been treating 10 patients each, the investigation found.
Full story in The Independent, 18 November 2021