Dylan Jones passed away only days before Christmas.
‘He fought so hard'(Image: Daily Record/Supplied)
A Midlothian dad who waited 15 hours while in ‘unbearable pain’ passed away at the age of 28. Dylan Jones suffered from cirrhosis of the liver, and died at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on December 20.
The father-of-three was admitted to hospital ten days beforehand, after becoming unwell at work. He dialled 999 and waited two hours for an ambulance, before being placed on a trolley in a corridor, reports the Daily Record.
Dylan’s loved ones say the fiber engineer, from Loanhead, then waited a further 13 hours for an MRI scan. By the time he was seen, doctors found his spleen had ruptured and he had been bleeding internally.
Dylan was rushed into theatre and stabilised by medics who worked to stop the bleeding before placing him on a breathing machine and giving carrying out several blood transfusions. But his family say that by that point, his organs were severely compromised and he was critically ill.
The dad died five days before Christmas. Dylan’s devastated relatives have now hit out, believing that a quicker response from ambulance and A&E staff would have saved his life.
His cousin, Billielea Porter, 32, told the Record: “By the time Dylan was eventually scanned and operated on, his body was so gone that he just wasn’t going to be able to make a full recovery.
“From the offset, medics would have known about his liver condition. He should never have been left to lie on a trolley like that for all that time. He fought so hard, but if he had been seen sooner, he would still be alive today and his children would still have their dad.”
Due to the cirrhosis of Dylan’s liver – where the organ is severely damaged – the high pressure on his portal vein had backed up into his spleen, which would have become enlarged. According to medical journals, cirrhosis of the liver significantly increases the risk of spleen complications, leading to severe abdominal pain, shock, rupture and high mortality if left untreated.
Dylan’s cause of death was confirmed to be liver failure, spleen rupture and a genetic condition called Jeune Syndrome, which he had been diagnosed with at birth. Billielea said: “When his spleen ruptured, it would have had a big impact on his liver and by the time they got his internal bleeding under control, his liver had already started to fail.
“Given that they would have known of the cirrhosis of his liver, why wasn’t he seen for 13 hours? How did they fail to spot that his spleen had ruptured and that he was bleeding inside? He was left to lie on a trolley in a corridor for hours on end, when they could have used that time to save his life.”
Scottish Labour Health spokesperson Jackie Baillie described Dylan’s untimely death as a “scandal” amid a healthcare crisis in Scotland. The MSP said: “This heartbreaking case shows us the true cost of the crisis in our NHS and my thoughts are with Dylan’s family. It is a scandal that young parents are losing their lives while waiting for emergency healthcare on the SNP’s watch and its devastating for their family.
“While John Swinney and Neil Gray insist things are going well in our NHS, in our hospitals, Scots are still paying the price for SNP failure. This complacent SNP government has made it clear it cannot fix the problems in our NHS and cannot be trusted with a third decade in charge
“Scots need an NHS that they can rely on and a government committed to delivering that.”
Meanwhile, Dylan has been remembered as a “great dad” who “lit up every room he walked in”. Billielea said: “Dylan was always laughing and joking, you were never sad when he was around. He lit up every room he walked in.
“He was so full of life and was a great dad to his three young kids. We’re all heartbroken without him.”
Tracey Gillies, Medical Director, NHS Lothian said: “We apologise for the length of wait Mr Jones experienced at A&E and extend our sincere condolences to his family.
“However, Mr Jones sadly died following ten days in intensive care and multiple interventions for a long standing and serious illness. We encourage his family to contact us directly to discuss any concerns they have with his care.”
Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the family of Dylan Jones at this unimaginably difficult time. I would also like to make clear that it is not acceptable that Mr Jones waited so long in A&E.
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“Excessively long waits are not acceptable and I apologise to all patients who are waiting too long. We are determined to do more and we want everyone to receive the best possible care and treatment. We are working closely with NHS Boards to improve patient flow, reduce waiting times for emergency care and diagnostic tests and ensure they have the support needed to manage peaks in demand this winter.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the patient’s family.
“While we are unable to comment on individual cases, we would encourage the family to contact our Patient Experience Team at a suitable time so we can discuss the actions taken based on the information provided during the 999 calls. Any learning identified through our engagement with the family will be fully implemented.”
An online fundraiser has since been set up to cover the costs of Dylan’s funeral and to support his three young children. Donate here.