The family of a man who died in a Bristol hospital have slammed the healthcare provider for a lack of seriousness after he allegedly was left untreated before suffering from a suspected cardiac arrest.
Sunil Rastogi, 40, was rushed to Southmead Hospital on the morning of February 17 but passed away at 12.10pm. Sunil, who lived with his wife Priya and his two children (a seven-year-old daughter and a two-month old son) in Charlton Hayes, South Gloucestershire, woke in the middle of the night with stomach pain, which caused him to vomit and have heart palpitations.
By 7.17am, he called 111 and at 8.12am, 999 was called. Two further calls to 999, when Sunil’s condition worsened, led ambulance services to be sent to his home, two hours after their first call.
Sunil was later taken to hospital, arriving at 10.15am, but his family claims that no monitoring took place despite ECGs showing abnormalities. Less than two hours later, he was rushed to ICU and died.
North Bristol Trust, which runs Southmead Hospital, has said it has already started a comprehensive review of the case “to understand the full circumstances of what happened”.
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“We wanted his case to be taken seriously”
Sanjeev Shukla, a friend of the family, explained that two days prior to Sunil’s death, he took part in a naming ceremony for his newborn child. He told Bristol Live that he felt the hospital showed a lack of seriousness in Sunil’s case.
Sanjeev said: “We felt that the seriousness was absent and we wanted his case to be taken seriously. Sunil spent hours under observations [from the ambulance service and Southmead Hospital] and it was like nothing was being done.
“There was no continuous monitoring of heart rate or continuous monitoring of blood pressure and oxygen level, nothing. One thing which Priya noticed was that his ECG was abnormal, but he was not flagged as an immediate high risk case.
“He was just left on the bed. I don’t know why the alarm wasn’t raised by nurses.”
Sanjeev said that Sunil’s experience showed how broken the NHS is. Savjeev added: “You don’t realise the extent of the situation until you’re face to face with it happening in A&E.”
The father-of-two was a “happy chappy” and friendly person who was dedicated to his children. “Everyone is just in deep shock,” Sanjeev said.
Sunil was the sole earner for his family and a fundraiser has been set up in Sunil’s memory in order to provide financial stability to Priya who was married to Sunil for 14 years, and his two young children.
Sanjeev said: “The family wants to take Sunil’s body back to India, his home country, and the money will be spent to support his two children.
“Sunil was the heart and soul of the family. His untimely passing has left not only an emotional void but also a financial burden that his family has to shoulder alone.”
The fundraiser has raised over £48,000, close to the goal of £50,000. “The family feel so grateful in this crisis and we all say thank you to everyone,” Sanjeev said on behalf of the family.
“Patient safety remains our absolute priority”
North Bristol NHS Trust chief nursing officer, Professor Steve Hams, said: “Firstly, we would like to offer our deepest condolences to Sunil’s family following their loss.
“I want to acknowledge the profound impact this has had on them and assure them, and the wider public, that we take this matter with the utmost seriousness.
“As a result of Sunil’s death, we have already started a comprehensive review to understand the full circumstances of what happened.
“However, at this stage, it would not be appropriate to pre-empt any conclusions. We are committed to working alongside all parties involved, including Sunil’s family.
“We would also like to reassure everyone that patient safety remains our absolute priority at North Bristol NHS Trust.
“This review will help us to not only understand what happened but also to ensure that we continue to deliver the highest standard of care for every patient who comes through our doors. We remain committed to learning and improving wherever necessary.”
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