Isaac Arrowsmith's death blamed on NHS failures at Macclesfield Hospital

Isaac Arrowsmith, 19, who suffered from the rare inherited Haemoglobin Rainier disease, experienced chest pain and breathlessness on 19 December 2025. He was taken to Macclesfield District General Hospital, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia and discharged without tests to rule out a pulmonary embolism. After his condition worsened, he returned to A&E on 31 December and was placed on a respiratory virtual ward rather than being admitted as an inpatient. He waited about 20 hours without seeing a clinician, left the hospital believing follow‑up care would be provided at home, and collapsed on 2 January. An inquest determined his death – caused by a pulmonary embolism, deep‑vein thrombosis and his underlying disease – was preventable. The coroner concluded that he should have been admitted and referred to the virtual‑ward team, and that NHS staff’s failure to access his full medical record contributed to the tragedy. His parents, Neil (45) and Louise (52) Arrowsmith, said, “He should still be here,” and called for scrutiny of NHS virtual‑ward protocols.