Father of two dies after six-hour wait in A&E

The family of a father of two who died after a six-hour wait in Accident and Emergency today called for an inquiry.

Stewart Fleming, 37, suffered multiple organ failure from a virus after being sent by his GP to Kent's Medway Maritime Hospital with a note warning that he had to be seen "straight away".

Hospital staff sent him back to queue despite the fact he was in agony. It took three hours to assess Mr Fleming as a "priority case" and another three to admit him on 12 December. Only then did doctors start treating the infection.

The railway signalman had a leg amputated before he died at Harefield Hospital near Uxbridge on Saturday. His wife Sarah, 42, described him as a "fantastic father" to Matthew, 12, and Lauren, 14. Mrs Fleming said: "I was with Stewart when the GP called the hospital. He typed us a letter and told us to go to A&E and hand this letter over and that Stewart should be treated immediately. But when we got to A&E it was full to bursting. I walked to the front with the letter and told them what the GP had said, but I was just told to go to the back of the queue."

Medway NHS Foundation Trust today said it was "saddened to hear of the death of Stewart Fleming". It added: "Mr Fleming came to Medway Maritime Hospital's Emergency Department on a day when it was experiencing long waits due to a high number of admissions. The situation was not unique to Medway - hospitals across the country were all experiencing a rise in demand for their services at the time."