A coroner has attributed the deaths of two patients at Medway Maritime Hospital to bed-blocking in the emergency department, in separate reports published within a week of each other. Barbara Wingate, 71, died in May 2025 after delays in diagnosing her pelvic fractures, while Liam Sutton, 54, died in December 2024 after waiting over 24 hours in A&E with sepsis.
At an inquest into Mrs Wingate's death, area coroner Catherine Wood found that the resuscitation department was full when she arrived, a situation described as an 'almost daily occurrence' for the trust. Mrs Wingate was taken to the rapid assessment unit instead and suffered a cardiac arrest before being transferred to King's College Hospital, where she died three days after her fall.
Data obtained by KentOnline via a freedom of information request revealed that in January 2025, 756 corridor patients waited 12 hours in Medway A&E, and by December 2025, there were 680 such waits in a month. The trust said between 22 and 26 per cent of inpatient beds are occupied by patients medically fit for discharge, equating to 130 to 160 patients at any time.
The coroner ruled that Mrs Wingate's death was 'contributed to by avoidable delays in diagnosing and treating her pelvic fractures' and issued a Prevention of Future Deaths Report to NHS Kent and Medway. A similar report was issued after Mr Sutton's death, citing bed-blocking as a contributing factor.
Medway NHS Foundation Trust said it was 'deeply sorry for the circumstances' of Mrs Wingate's death and fully accepted the coroner's findings, adding that improving timely discharge of medically fit patients remains a 'significant system-wide challenge'.
