A&E did not get the basics right - my son's life was ruined at 32 — SkimNews
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- Oli Coppock, 32, attended Warrington Hospital's A&E in May 2024 with headaches and dizziness following brain tumour treatment but was discharged without a brain scan; a week later he suffered a cardiac arrest from fluid on the brain and now lives in almost complete paralysis, communicating only by blinking.
- North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust accepted a breach of duty for not ordering a CT brain scan, which the trust acknowledged would on the balance of probabilities have identified the fluid build-up and led to surgery.
- Oli's father Stephen said the family, including Oli's six siblings, has been left 'angry and broken,' adding: 'The hospital didn't get the basics right and my son has paid a terrible price.'
- A BBC analysis of NHS Resolution data found A&E-related clinical negligence claims in England rose 41% over five years, from 1,151 in 2020-21 to 1,623 in 2025-26, with claim values exceeding £550 million last year.
- The Royal College of Emergency Medicine's Dr Adrian Boyle called the figures 'sobering' and linked the rise to mounting pressure on emergency departments, noting one in 10 A&E patients spent more than 12 hours waiting over the last two years.
- Oli's solicitor, Tanzeela Aslam of Express Solicitors, said more than two years to reach the interim damages payment deprived him of access to therapies and support that could have improved his quality of life.
Why it matters: A&E is now England's single biggest source of clinical negligence claims by number, with values exceeding £550 million last year — a 41% rise over five years that the Royal College of Emergency Medicine links directly to corridor care, 12-hour waits, and mounting staff pressure on emergency departments, with patients like Oli Coppock paying the physical cost.
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