A man was found in critical condition after disappearing from a crowded NHS hospital that had resorted to using a Costa Coffee shop as an overflow ward. The distressing incident occurred at William Harvey Hospital in Kent, where 75-year-old Nick Sheppard went missing after spending over a day on a trolley in a busy A&E corridor.
He was eventually located in a nearby wooded area, suffering from hypothermia and severe dehydration. His partner of more than five decades, Janet Pott, expressed deep disappointment in the NHS system, which she believes was under immense strain.
Janet described the anxiety she felt during the 44 hours that Nick was missing, a period coinciding with the hospital’s transformation of the Costa Coffee outlet into a temporary ward due to a severe lack of beds. Nick had collapsed in a Co-op supermarket in Dover, sustaining a head injury that led to his hospitalization and subsequent disappearance.
After a search, Nick was discovered in the woods behind the hospital, struggling in a ditch. He spent significant time in intensive care and on a regular ward, battling kidney failure, internal bleeding, and substantial weight loss. Nick has no recollection of the events that transpired.
Janet expressed frustration at the hospital’s handling of Nick’s case, emphasizing that a patient with a head injury should not have been able to walk out unnoticed. She criticized the overcrowded conditions and what she termed as “corridor care,” blaming these factors for the incident.
The East Kent Hospitals Trust issued an apology and initiated a review of the situation. NHS data revealed a record high number of 12-hour trolley waits in Kent in 2025, further highlighting the strain on healthcare services.