Husband and father died after his encephalitis symptoms were overlooked by hospital, says family

Tom Frith, from Knutsford, died aged 66 on 27 July 2025, having suffered brain damage from swelling on his brain and a stroke caused by the condition. 

After being admitted to A&E displaying symptoms of encephalitis including confusion, being unsteady on his feet, a temperature and flu-like symptoms, Tom was put on a corridor bed, faced delays in getting an MRI scan, and was left unattended for extended periods of time by staff.  

By the time he was eventually diagnosed a week after his admission, Tom had already suffered significant brain damage and been moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) and put in a medically induced coma as a result. 

Tom had retired only a year earlier and still led an active life, going on motorbiking holidays and had been to the Isle of Man TT Races just a week before his illness. Tom and his wife Julia had plans to buy a camper van and travel in their retirement. He also loved tending to his vegetable patch and was an avid Manchester United supporter. 

Tom initially visited A&E in Leighton Hospital with his wife, Julia, late on Saturday 14 June 2025. He was experiencing flu-like symptoms, including a temperature, and was unsteady on his feet, as well as being confused and struggling with his speech – all of which are recognised as symptoms of encephalitis.  

After being admitted, Tom’s condition deteriorated and he was increasingly confused, was barely able to stand, and his speech made no sense. Julia was told that he likely had delirium caused by an infection. 

Tom was given a bed in a corridor and remained agitated and confused and did not know where he was. During the night, his condition began to worsen, and staff raised the possibility that he could be having a stroke. However, Julia was told there was a wait of more than seven hours for a doctor, and she recalls staff apologising for the slow pace of activity due to a new computer system being introduced that day.  

Despite the potential seriousness of Tom’s condition, he was only treated with paracetamol and fluids overnight while he was kept on the bed in the A&E corridor. 

On Sunday morning, after around nine hours in hospital, a doctor assessed Tom and advised that he could be having a stroke and said he would need an MRI scan, but that scans could only take place on weekdays. 

Julia queried whether he could be taken to the neurology department at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, given Leighton Hospital did not have the facilities to perform a weekend MRI scan, but was told it was full.  

The doctor prescribed antibiotics for a suspected infection, with Tom still stuck on a corridor bed. 

That afternoon, Julia briefly left the hospital, asking nurses to keep an eye on him. However, when she returned shortly afterwards, she found Tom stood up leaning against his bed with his ID bracelet ripped off and in a stressed condition.  

After helping him clean and change, Julia and Tom returned to find his space on the corridor had been taken. 

Later on Sunday evening after having a chest x-ray, Tom was eventually moved to a cubicle, where he spent the night while Julia returned home. At this stage, it was confirmed that Tom had no chest infection or water infection, but staff still had no idea where the infection was coming from. 

When Julia returned on Monday morning (16 June), she was informed Tom had been moved to an acute ward. She went straight there and found Tom seated in a chair beside his bed. He couldn’t get into his bed because the sheets still needed to be changed after the previous patient had vacated it.  

Julia says Tom was confused and aggressive with a rasping cough, and she was shocked to find him wearing a leaking nappy. After Tom was able to wash and get changed, he was taken for an x-ray which confirmed that he had now developed a chest infection.  

Later that afternoon, Tom was taken for an MRI scan, which Julia says was delayed and required her to chase up staff. The results confirmed that Tom had a clot in the front left temporal lobe of his brain, and the hospital’s ICU began to monitor his condition. 

When Julia returned to the hospital the next morning on Tuesday, Tom’s condition had deteriorated severely and he had been admitted to the ICU.  

Julia questioned the prior lack of urgency in Tom’s care since arriving in A&E, and was told her concerns would be taken up with the hospital. 

Tom’s condition continued to deteriorate, and he was put in a medically induced coma on Wednesday morning. A consultant informed Julia that he now had a large amount of swelling on his brain and was experience massive outward seizures. She was also told that the blood clot identified by Monday’s MRI scan had caused damage to the front left lobe of his brain, affecting his personality and cognitive function.  

Julia was told the prognosis was not looking good for Tom, and that staff still did not know where the infection was coming from. 

On Friday, Tom received a lumbar puncture, a key test to confirm encephalitis, and was started on acyclovir, an antiviral medicine for treating the condition. His diagnosis with encephalitis was confirmed the next day, a week after he had first attended A&E.  

Tom continued to receive treatment for encephalitis but due to the excessive brain damage that had already occurred, it was unlikely that he would ever recover.  

After several weeks of treatment, Tom was taken off the ventilator and was able to breathe on his own, but Julia was advised by a consultant that his condition was highly unlikely to improve further. Following this, he was put on palliative care and died a few days later on Sunday 27 July 2025.  

Julia has now instructed law firm Leigh Day to investigate a medical negligence claim, due to concerns with his treatment in A&E and the length of time it took to diagnose encephalitis. She questions whether his deterioration and brain damage could have been avoided had he been diagnosed and treated earlier.  

Julia has received support from Encephalitis International, a charity dedicated to people affected by encephalitis. The charity leads the global awareness initiative for World Encephalitis Day on 22 February and has recently released guidance which publicises the F.L.A.M.E.S. acronym for recognising the condition: flu-like symptoms, loss of consciousness, acute headache, memory problems, emotional or behavioural changes, and seizures.  

Julia said: 

“Before 21 June 2025 I had never heard of encephalitis. Once Tom was finally diagnosed, I rang Jon at Encephalitis International, and he told me exactly what treatment Tom should be receiving and agreed his treatment and diagnosis was just too late. What is concerning is that even though the hospital staff were discussing Tom as a potential stroke patient, he was still left on the corridor for 36 hours.  The A&E department was overwhelmed, and I believe Tom was failed by the system. If you put the symptoms that Tom presented into a search engine, the AI response is ‘potential life threatening, possibly encephalitis, swelling of brain or meningitis’. I intend to continue to raise awareness of this virus and its symptoms so hopefully someone else could be saved and not have to go through what Tom did.” 

Leigh Day solicitor Zoe Donohue, who represents Julia, said: 

“The ordeal that Tom went through in the lead up to his death was a terrible one. In instructing me, Julia is hoping to determine whether more could have been done to help Tom, and if a quicker diagnosis could have given him a stronger chance of survival. Julia is also hoping to raise awareness of encephalitis, ensuring that more is widely known about the symptoms and how to detect the condition early on, to help others avoid the awful set of circumstances she has experienced.” 

Dr Ava Easton MBE, CEO of Encephalitis International, said: 

"Encephalitis is a condition which can have a devastating impact, particularly when diagnosis is missed or delayed. Cases of mis and late diagnoses are why we continue to promote better awareness and healthcare professional education on this condition. On World Encephalitis Day Encephalitis International is launching what will be a lifesaving acronym: F.L.A.M.E.S. reflecting the urgent neurological signs that the general public and healthcare professionals should be aware of to help recognise encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) earlier. Our aim is to continue to educate more people about how to spot the symptoms of encephalitis, in the hope that we can take a significant step towards better preventing, recognising and managing this devastating brain condition.”