Hospital delayed crucial treatment, resulting in patient's death

The inquest into the death of Andy Martin, a 52-year-old pub landlord, revealed that he received delayed treatment for significant health issues. Martin was suffering from sepsis, meningitis, and brain inflammation when he was admitted to Salford Royal Hospital. His condition worsened over several hours before he received necessary antibiotics. Martin's wife, Helen Kitchen, reported that her husband had been unwell for days before his arrival at the hospital, experiencing severe ear pain and coughing up blood. After emergency services arrived, paramedics suspected he might have suffered a stroke or encephalitis. Despite the consultant neurologist prescribing antibiotics shortly after Martin's admission, they were not given until more than eight hours later. The doctors had canceled the initial order for antibiotics and prescribed a different type, which led to the delay. Kitchen expressed frustration at being told repeatedly that her husband was fine, even as she witnessed his worsening condition. She pressed the emergency hospital alarm when she felt her husband's needs were being ignored but was reportedly told it was not necessary. Martin's health deteriorated further, and he suffered a cardiac arrest the next morning. He later died in the intensive care unit, with his family not informed until much later about the severity of his condition. The inquest continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.