The family of a man who died after a 12-hour delay in heart surgery has criticised an NHS trust's apology as 'hollow', as regulators raised concerns over patient safety and waiting times. Ralph Sims, 65, died in April 2019 at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton after doctors failed to act appropriately when his blood pressure dropped following surgery to replace an aortic valve.
An internal investigation found that hospital staff did not 'recognise the significance of the fall in blood pressure'. The trust accepted that Sims should have returned to theatre to identify the cause of his deterioration, but instead medics decided to observe him overnight. An angiogram was delayed by 12 hours due to another emergency case, causing irreversible heart muscle damage that led to his death five weeks later.
In a statement, Sims' family said: 'The best thing the trust can now do is to ensure guidelines and protocols are followed. Staff didn't contact the surgeon, send Ralph for an angiogram in time, or seek the advice of the on-call consultant, who was 14 miles away in Worthing.' They added that the apology felt hollow, as it took years for the trust to admit liability.
Thomas Riis-Bristow, a medical negligence lawyer representing the family, said: 'Every minute counts in cardiac surgery. Tragically, in Ralph's case, had he received adequate care, his death would have been entirely avoidable.' The Care Quality Commission (CQC) recently upgraded the hospital's surgery department from 'inadequate' to 'requires improvement', but expressed concern over long waiting times, cancelled operations, and staff shortages.
Neil Cox, CQC deputy director of operations, warned that enforcement action would be taken if improvements were not made urgently. He noted a 'wide disconnect' between staff and senior leaders, with reports of bullying and low morale. George Findlay, the trust's chief executive, acknowledged the challenges and said the trust is working to address them.
