A hospital trust is facing questions after a man died having waited more than six hours to be seen in an accident and emergency department.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust said it was saddened to hear of the death of Stewart Fleming but said that its emergency ward was experiencing long waits because of a high number of admissions.

Mr Fleming, 37, of Rainham, Kent was taken to the Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham on December 12 by his wife Sarah. He had a note from his GP requesting immediate admission after a suspected viral infection failed to clear with antibiotics but, the father of two faced a reported six-hour wait before he was assessed again.

By this time his condition had deteriorated. He was eventually admitted and transferred a week later to the Harefield Hospital in West London but died last Saturday.

Mrs Fleming said: “Why wait three hours for a triage when a doctor had already done it and put it in writing what was going on?”

A spokeswoman for Medway NHS Foundation Trust said: “The trust is saddened to hear of the death of Stewart Fleming. Due to patient confidentiality we are unable to discuss any details.”

Explore Health

• Expert Advice

• Health Features

• Mental Health

• Alternative Medicine

• Child Health

• Health Club