East Surrey Hospital criticised over pensioner surgery wait

The coroner said there was "no clinical reason" for Mr Nickols's surgery not taking place until 5 March

Concerns that East Surrey Hospital is putting "patients at risk of early death" have been raised by a coroner after the death of a 92-year-old man.

Douglas Nickols was admitted with a fractured hip on 28 February but waited until 5 March for surgery. He later deteriorated with pneumonia and died.

The coroner said Mr Nickols was immobile for a number of days before his surgery, contributing to his death.

The hospital's chief medical officer said improvements were being made.

In a prevention of future deaths report, assistant coroner Anna Crawford said there was "no clinical reason" for Mr Nickols not having his surgery until 5 March. He died on 11 March.

'Demand outweighed capacity'

She said National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on hip fractures recommended hip surgery took place on the day of the injury or the day after, because early mobilisation was recommended to reduce the risk of complications, including pneumonia.

Mr Nickols had been clinically fit for surgery following admission but other patients were prioritised based on clinical need, she said.

The inquest heard the Redhill hospital had an operating theatre for trauma patients, but on some occasions demand outweighed capacity and it was not possible to perform all operations within the NICE timeframe.

The report said: "The coroner is concerned that in failing to comply with the NICE guidelines in this way, the trust is placing such patients at risk of early death."

Chief medical officer at Surrey and Sussex NHS, Ed Cetti, said a transformation project was being carried out to improve waiting times for surgery, including new wards with dedicated beds for patients before and after hip fracture surgery.

He said: "An action plan is being put together to ensure we learn lessons, and importantly, improve our care for future patients.

"I extend my deepest sympathies to Mr Nickols' family at this very difficult time and sincerely apologise for the delay in his surgery.

"We take this extremely seriously and are in the process of reviewing the coroner's report."

The Trust has 56 days to respond.