Woman 'Died Because Hospital Receptionist Decided She Wasn't Sick Enough'

A City worker who later died of organ failure was not seen by a doctor for 90 minutes after arriving at hospital because a medically untrained receptionist decided she 'wasn't that sick', an inquest heard.

Madhumita 'Maddie' Mandal, 30, was taken to Croyden University Hospital's A&E unit by her husband after vomiting for more than four hours in September 2013.

Receptionist Triveni Dhavade referred Mrs Mandal to the urgent care centre rather than the hospital's NHS casualty, the inquest heard.

Although Mrs Mandal's husband pleaded for a nurse to see to his wife - who repeatedly vomited in the waiting room - the receptionist allegedly could not find one for more than an hour.

Instead she told the couple to wait. Eventually, a nurse saw Mrs Mandal and realising how ill she was, rushed her to the NHS casualty resuscitation room.

However, when Mrs Mandal finally did see a doctor, a catalogue of disagreements between two colleagues meant it was left to a junior doctor to refer her to intensive care, the inquested heard.

She finally underwent surgery on a ruptured ovarian cyst - nearly eight hours after arriving at the hospital. But she died of sepsis and multi-organ failure four days later.

Mrs Dhavade told the inquest: 'I wasn't to know that she was that sick.'

The inquest heard that patients were referred to the urgent care centre for minor injuries and illnesses or sent to casualty if they presented one of a list of characteristics like chest pain or palpitations but not vomiting. 

The inquest continues.

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