Woman, 75, died of accidental paracetamol overdose after waiting 19 HOURS for hospital treatment

A WOMAN died after waiting 19 hours in hospital for an accidental paracetamol overdose, an inquest has heard. Barbara Cope, 75, arrived at Rotherham Hospital’s A&E department on June 11, 2025 with slurred speech, decreased consciousness levels and had eaten and drunk much less than normal. Barbara Cope, 75, arrived at Rotherham Hospital’s A&E department on June 11, 2025 Credit: NB Press Scientists have known for ­decades that paracetamol, although a very effective form of pain relief, in large amounts is toxic Credit: Alamy After being transferred to a separate department, a blood test was taken around 4pm on June 12, with results at 5pm showing she had a high level of paracetamol in her blood. But, despite then deteriorating overnight and doctors undertaking two further medical reviews, the blood test results “were not reviewed or acted upon until 10am on June 13, 2025”, coroner Louise Slater told the inquest. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! This delayed the administration of the vital medication N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) until 12:30, roughly 19 hours after the results were available. Barbara later died of multiple organ failure, acute liver failure and inadvertent paracetamol toxicity. Her death was ruled an accident but Louise Slater said: “Paracetamol excess requires time-critical management to prevent further and irreversible damage to the liver.” In her conclusion, she added: “Although a blood sample was collected and tested in a timely manner, there was no evidence of communication and or follow up of the abnormal result. “Therefore time critical medication was not commenced until 19 hours later. “Even when the patient clinically deteriorated overnight and required two separate clinical reviews, the blood results were not reviewed and or acted upon. Most read in Health “If clinical records and recent investigations results are not reviewed then appropriate medical management will be delayed or will not occur.” In a Prevention of Future Deaths report, Louise Slater also wrote: “There needs to be clear communication, understanding and record keeping of who is responsible for the patient and the ongoing follow up and care in these circumstances.” Responding to the coroner’s report, Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said measures put in place since Barbara’s death included reviewing and updating procedures for managing “critically abnormal pathology results in clinical areas”. The trust would also “imminently” launch a pilot within the Urgent and Emergency Care Centre to use a “bleep” system to flag critical blood results. They added that the trust was “committed to ensuring that the learning arising from this matter is fully considered and acted upon”. Scientists have known for ­decades that paracetamol, although a very effective form of pain relief, in large amounts is toxic. While an occasional couple of tablets to treat a headache or short-term pain is considered safe, regular use can damage the liver—even when people stick within the recommended limits. It is particularly harmful to the liver because it destroys the structural integrity of liver tissue and kills liver cells rapidly. Paracetamol is now the leading cause of acute liver failure in UK adults. Research shows that taking nearly twice the recommended daily dose — around 7.5g in 24 hours—can be enough to trigger toxicity in some people. Deliberate and accidental paracetamol overdoses at home have long been a concern for health officials. In 1998, the Government introduced legislation restricting over-the-counter pack sizes of the drug to a ­maximum 16 tablets. Accidental overdosing is also more common because paracetamol is hidden in many other medicines. The official maximum dose is two 500mg tablets, taken up to four times a day within 24 hours, with at least four hours between each dose.