Worthing nurse recalls final moments with Storrington man before hospital death

A nurse from Worthing Hospital has spoken about his attempts to help a patient moments before he died.
Nicholas Weston with mother and sisterNicholas Weston with mother and sister
Nicholas Weston with mother and sister

The inquest into the death of Nicholas Weston, from Storrington, opened on Wednesday and heard that he ‘fell from the roof’ of Worthing Hospital in January last year.

The 23-year-old voluntarily admitted himself to hospital on January 17, 2016, after ‘having suicidal thoughts’, the inquest heard.

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An emergency nurse who was on shift on January 18, the day Mr Weston died, has given evidence today (Friday) about the last time he saw the patient.

Nigel Pembrook-Statton told the jury at the inquest at Edes House, Chichester, how he entered the clinical decision unit at 2pm to take the vitals of the inpatients.

Mr Pembrook-Statton said Mr Weston had been ‘calm’ and ‘normal’ when he had taken his observations.

He said: “I was in the process of keying my observations into the system just after 4pm when Nicholas sat up in the bed and was staring at the ceiling.

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“He said ‘I’m not 100 per cent sure if I feel alright or not, dad.’

“His dad was half asleep in the chair next to him and muttered something that I didn’t hear.

“I said to Nicholas ‘are you alright, do you need anything?’ He said ‘No I’m alright but thank you for asking.’”

Mr Pembrook-Statton added that Nicholas laid back down again and he believed he had fallen asleep.

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He said: “A few minutes later Nicholas sat bolt upright again and said ‘I’m out of here’.

“I followed him out of the doors of the unit and Nicholas said again ‘I’m out of here and don’t try to stop me.’”

Mr Pembrook-Statton said he then woke up Mr Weston’s father and then informed the nurse in charge about what had happened, as he had been told not to try and restrain him.

He continued to say that he called for security and told security guard Ewan McGlashan which direction he had seen Mr Weston go in.

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Giving evidence, Mr McGlashan said he had been called at around 7am on January 18 because Mr Weston was displaying ‘threatening’ behaviour.

However, he added that after a few hours Mr Weston was ‘calm and asleep in bed’, and at no time did he have any reason to believe he would attempt to leave the hospital.

He said he was called again at 4.25pm when it was reported that Mr Weston had left the hospital, and then conducted a search for him.

Mr McGlashan added that he ‘searched the entire hospital’ and then the street outside.

He said he saw ‘blue flashing lights’ and followed the road along until he saw an ambulance in the hospital car park, which was next to the body of Mr Weston.

The inquest continues.

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