Language Settings
Select Website Language

Warrington A&E Failed to Scan Man, 32, Left Paralysed

58 minutes ago

Warrington Hospital's NHS trust admits it failed to order a brain scan for Oli Coppock, 32, who is now almost fully paralysed after a cardiac arrest.

Oli Coppock walked into the emergency department at Warrington Hospital in May 2024 complaining of severe headaches and dizziness. Staff examined him and ran a series of checks, but no scan of his brain was carried out before he was sent home. Within a week, fluid had gathered on his brain, and the 32-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest. He never recovered. He now lives with near-total paralysis.

The hospital's operator, North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust, has admitted it breached its duty of care by failing to arrange a CT scan of his brain. It accepts that such a scan would most likely have revealed the fluid, opening the way to surgery that could have corrected the problem. An interim damages payment has been agreed with his family.

Oli had been treated for a brain tumour only months earlier and had also recently been told he had multiple sclerosis. Despite those conditions, his father says he was in good health and looking ahead with optimism. He worked in digital marketing, was a regular at the gym and spent free time working as a DJ.

His father, Stephen Coppock, says he accepts that emergency staff work under strain, but cannot grasp why nobody ordered a scan given his son's history. Stephen, who has seven children in all, says the failure has devastated the entire family, including Oli's six siblings.

"The hospital didn't get the basics right and my son has paid a terrible price - it's ruined his life," he said. "It was an awful error. He trusted the health service and believed it was there to help him, not destroy him."

Oli is being looked after at a neurological rehabilitation unit. His body is now rigid and twisted, and he cannot move himself. Tubes handle his breathing, his food and his toilet needs. He can respond only by blinking, though his father is convinced he takes in everything around him. "There is no worse space for a human to occupy - it's a permanent living nightmare," Stephen said.

In its statement, the trust apologised. "We are deeply sorry that Mr Coppock did not receive that standard of care that should be expected and we recognise the distress and lasting impact on patients and their families when harm is caused," it said.

More than two years to reach an admission

The family's lawyer, Tanzeela Aslam, who heads medical negligence at Express Solicitors, says the length of the process has compounded the harm. Reaching this point took more than two years, she says, and during that time Oli was left without money for therapies and support that might have eased his condition and improved his day-to-day life.

"Oli's case illustrates how preventable errors within the NHS can have devastating and life-changing consequences for individuals and their families," she said.

Aslam says the case is far from isolated. She is handling a rising volume of complaints tied to emergency care, a trend she attributes to mounting strain on hospitals. She points in particular to the spread of so-called corridor care, where patients are treated in hallways rather than proper bays.

A 41% rise in A&E negligence claims

Oli's ordeal reflects a wider pattern across England. Analysis by the BBC found that clinical negligence claims connected to emergency care have climbed by 41% over the past five years. Doctors have linked the increase to the long waits and heavy pressures now common in A&E departments.

For the Coppock family, the statistics carry a personal cost. A man who was fit, working and hopeful about the years ahead now depends on machines to survive and on a blink to make himself understood. His father says the family has been left "angry and broken" by a single missed step in a busy emergency room.

clinical negligence, Warrington Hospital, A&E care, brain scan, NHS negligence claims, Oli Coppock, corridor care, medical negligence

Click here to Read More
Previous Article
Attitude Over CV Top Bosses Reveal What Gets You Hired
Next Article
Jawa 42 All Stars Launched at Rs 1.85 Lakh With 60+ Updates

Related Health Updates:

Are you sure? You want to delete this comment..! Remove Cancel

Comments (0)

    Leave a comment