Patient dies in waiting room of hospital A&E department

An investigation has been launched after a patient died in the waiting room of the A&E department at Russells Hall Hospital.

The person died in November, the Dudley Group NHS Foundation trust confirmed today. Speaking to the Express and Star, chief executive, Diane Wake, said:

"I can confirm we have had one death in the waiting room of our emergency department in November 2017 and this is currently under investigation.

"No patient has died on a stretcher in the corridor as has been reported in the media.

The investigation comes as new figures revealed that one third of patients arriving at Russells Hall by ambulance faced delays in excess of 30 minutes in the final week of 2017.