Dad, 28, died after 13 hour wait 'in corridor' of A&E

A man with a rare liver condition died after spending hours in an A&E corridor, his heartbroken family have said.

Dylan Jones from Midlothian, Scotland, called 999 after becoming unwell in his job as a fibre engineer and reported "unbearable" pain in his side. The 28-year-old, who was known to have cirrhosis of the liver, then waited an agonising two hours for the ambulance to arrive, 

Yet after he was raced to hospital, his condition worsened, according to his mum and cousin, as he was left on a trolley in a corridor for 13 hours.

While waiting for an MRI scan, it has since been revealed Dylan's spleen had ruptured. When he was finally seen, medics realised he had been slowly internally bleeding.

The father-of-three was then rushed into theatre and stabilised by medics who worked to stop the bleeding before placing him on a breathing machine and carrying out several blood transfusions.

Dylan died 10 days later at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, just days before Christmas on December 20.

His relatives say his organs had become severely compromised while he was waiting for urgent treatment in A&E and are now speaking out, saying they believe a quicker response could have saved his life.

His cousin, Billielea Porter, 32, told the Daily 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 Dylan's liver condition, 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."

In a tribute, the young man has been remembered as a "great dad" who "lit up every room he walked in". Billielea added: "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."

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."

Tracey Gillies, Medical Director, NHS Lothian also said in a statement: “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.

"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.”

An online fundraiser has since been set up to cover the costs of Dylan's funeral and to support his three young children.