Man's death outside hospital investigated

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WALSALL, England, July 8 (UPI) -- Health officials said they were investigating the death of a middle-age man who was admitted to an English hospital for chest pains but died outside its doors.

The man, whose name had not been made public, had been admitted to Walsall Manor Hospital, but went outside the entrance to get some fresh air and collapsed. Witnesses said nurses, paramedics and others ignored him, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

In fact, witnesses said passers-by did not ignore the man -- some took cellphone pictures and video of the man, while some laughed at him.

"I can confirm that an incident happened on the Walsall Manor Hospital site, on Saturday, June 23, in which a patient died," Jayne Tunstall, chief operating officer at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, told the Telegraph. "A full investigation has been launched by the trust and is currently ongoing, and a number of staff have been suspended as part of this investigation."

A spokesman for the West Midlands Ambulance Service said four members of its staff were suspended and a full investigation was expected to be completed in two weeks.