A man died from hypothermia a week after a 'rushed' discharge from Epsom Hospital, a coroner's report has found. The man, who had alcohol-related brain damage and malnutrition, was discharged on December 5, 2022, to his flat where heating was inadequate and he did not eat. He died seven days later at the same hospital.
The coroner, Caroline Topping, said discharge decisions were made 'in a vacuum' without understanding his recent admissions or home circumstances. Clinicians relied on his expressed wish to go home alone as justification for an unsafe discharge, despite family concerns that he was not well enough to care for himself.
Ms Topping noted that pressure to vacate bed spaces during winter impacted clinicians' ability to prepare a proper discharge plan, leading to 'rushed underinformed decision making'. The trust has since implemented improvements, including additional checks and better safeguarding training.
A spokesperson for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust apologised, saying they were 'deeply sorry' for failing to provide the care the man and his family were entitled to expect.
