Former EastEnders actor dies of multi-organ failure after CT-scan delay, inquest hears

A former EastEnders actor died of multi-organ failure after NHS staff were unable to immediately access his CT scans, an inquest heard.

Mace Richards, 62, who appeared in the BBC soap in 2019, died less than five hours after he was rushed to St Mary’s Hospital in London on June 1. He arrived at the hospital by ambulance at about 5:20 a.m. and had been given painkillers for abdominal pain in the vehicle. An urgent CT scan was performed at 5:48 a.m. and sent to surgeons at Royal Brompton Hospital, but hospital staff were unable to access the images right away and they were not reviewed until about 8 a.m. Surgeons then concluded that due to damage to his organs, an operation was unlikely to succeed. He was told to contact his family and say his goodbyes before his death at 10:13 p.m.

Members of Mr. Richards’ family attended the inquest at North London Coroner’s Court via video-link, raising concerns that the delay in accessing the CT images may have contributed to his death. Senior Coroner Andrew Walker said there was “no suggestion of any evidence” that the delay contributed to the outcome beyond a minimal or trivial amount and adjourned the hearing until Oct. 8 to allow further investigation. A doctor from Imperial College London may also attend on that date to answer questions about the delays in reviewing the scan images.

Mr. Walker extended his condolences to the family and noted that Mr. Richards, who lived in Epsom, Surrey, died at St Mary’s Hospital in London. The coroner read a statement from Imperial College Healthcare Trust, which said Richards died of multi-organ failure following an aortic dissection. The court heard that Richards was a smoker and suffered from high blood pressure.

One family member said the scans had not been looked at because Richards had been taken to hospital in the early hours of a Sunday, and questioned why hours were lost in an urgent case for someone so young and seemingly healthy. “It sounds like for an urgent case they lost quite a few hours for such a healthy 62-year-old man,” the relative said, adding that the family should have been called earlier. The coroner offered the possibility of a hospital doctor attending the next inquest to address family questions and said it was appropriate for the doctors to be questioned about any matter the family wished to discuss.

Another family member noted Richards was not at home when he fell ill and said ambulance timing and details were unclear; the coroner instructed the London Ambulance Service to file a report by Oct. 8. The hearing was adjourned to allow more time for evidence and to answer lingering questions about the management of the patient’s imaging and care in the hours after his arrival.

Richards’ acting work for EastEnders has been noted in brief memorials relating to his appearance in 2019 as Walford Gazette photographer Harry. His death has drawn attention to the pressures and potential delays within emergency imaging pathways and how they influence decision-making in critical cases, even as authorities emphasize that the current findings do not indicate a causal link between the delay and the final outcome. The inquest processes will continue on the scheduled date as investigators seek to determine whether any lessons can be learned to prevent similar concerns in future emergencies.