Inquest raises questions over chances to prevent fatal blood clot at East Surrey Hospital
32-year-old Tom Parfett died at St Georges Hospital in London two years ago
Last updated 12th May 2026
An inquest into the death of a man from East Grinstead has found staff at East Surrey Hospital missed chances to help stop a fatal blood clot.
32-year-old Tom Parfett was treated at East Surrey Hospital, before being rushed to emergency care at St Georges Hospital in London where he died in July 2024.
Today (12/05/2026) the inquest heard how Tom was already at higher risk because he was overweight, and had covid.
At Surrey Coroners Court, the coroner said a lack of blood thinning medication from hospital staff could have contributed to his death, but it is not clear how much it had a direct impact because of his existing medical conditions.
Tom suffered from autism and saw his mental health deteriorate after he went into hospital in June 2024
At times it would take more than five members of staff to restrain him so his medication could be applied
The coroner said she had sympathy for hospital staff due to Tom's situation being particularly difficult to manage
The coroner also added that she was satisfied the hospital had taken Tom's death seriously, and improvements had been made.
After the hearing today, we heard from Tom's mum, Kim: " We did not know that staff had not been administering the medication for such a long period. We were not told how important this medication was for protecting Tom's life."
She added " Tom's death at St Georges Hospital was a great shock to our family and we remain devastated by what happened. We're still struggling to come to terms with this, and that is why we are so determined to ensure that lessons are learned from what happened to Tom."
A key part of the inquest was talking about the desire to take Tom somewhere where his mental health issues could be looked after properly, however his physical illness prevented this from happening
A prevention of future deaths report is set to be written by the coroner, hoping to find a solution to have more integrated care where physical and mental abilities could be cared for at the same time
Dr Ed Cetti, Chief Medical Officer at East Surrey hospital said:
“I would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family of Mr Parsons and to his loved ones.
This is a difficult and distressing case, and as a Trust, we are committed to fully cooperating with the Coroner.
While we cannot comment on the specific circumstances of this case due to its ongoing nature, we will carefully consider the Coroner’s findings and ensure we learn from this case to improve the care our patients and their families receive.”