Elizabeth Eccleston wants inquest as husband Tony dies after nine-hour hospital wait at Lyell McEwin

A man died after being forced to wait more than nine hours in an Adelaide emergency department – and was never seen by a doctor.

Grandfather Tony Eccleston died in hospital after a nine-hour wait. Picture: 9News

A northern suburbs grandmother is still searching for answers after her husband died a year ago when he was forced to wait more than nine hours in an Adelaide hospital’s emergency department.

Elizabeth Eccleston is calling for an inquest into the death of her husband Tony, who went into cardiac arrest and died after a lengthy wait at the Lyell McEwin Hospital on June 19 last year.

She recalled Tony, 62, woke up with a sore leg, suspected a blood clot and arrived at the emergency department about 9.30am.

Elizabeth Eccleston wants an inquest after her husband Tony died in hospital following a nine-hour wait. Picture: 9News

But Ms Eccleston said her husband, who was a loving father and grandfather, was never seen by a doctor despite raising fears of a clot and complaining his leg was becoming increasingly painful.

She said his only treatment was Panadol and ibuprofen.

“Why did my husband have to sit there for nine and a half hours, because if he was treated beforehand he’d be here with us,” Ms Eccleston, from Salisbury East, told 9 News Adelaide.

“I had his dinner ready for him to come home that night.”

A grandmother says her family is proof of a broken system, telling how her husband died waiting more than nine hours to see a doctor in the Lyell McEwin emergency department.

He presented with fears of a blood clot, eventually going into cardiac arrest.@ExcellBeth#9Newspic.twitter.com/yO6nyODl7h

— 9News Adelaide (@9NewsAdel) June 29, 2023

Tony went into cardiac arrest after 7pm and died a short time later.

Ms Eccleston said Tony and his family are “the people left behind” by the health system.

She wants to make sure a similar tragedy does not befall another family in the future.

“We keep hearing about, we’re fixing our health system … I don’t believe it,” she said.

“We’re a classic example that it’s broken.”

Health Minister Chris Picton expressed his condolences in a statement to 9 News and said he would make sure the northern Adelaide local health network would fully co-operate with any inquest.