THE survival chances of a Polish man could have been improved if staff at Great Western Hospital acted sooner to treat his serious head injury, rather than thinking he was drunk, a court heard.

Grzegorz Beyer died on May 4 last year after suffering a punch to the face during a night out with friends in the town centre just two days prior.

Bristol Crown Court heard today that the care Mr Beyer first received while at GWH was “inadequate” due to a mix-up with notes and staff wrongly categorising him for triage, believing that due to the time of admission, he was “intoxicated”.

He was later transferred to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where he died.

Marcin Koscielniak is currently on trial for Mr Beyer's manslaughter, which he denies.

On the fourth day of the trial, Dr Amanda Jeffrey, forensic pathologist, gave evidence and told the jury, of six men and six women, that the cause of Mr Beyer’s death had been from complications with a head injury he suffered during the altercation near the water fountain on the crossroads of Bridge Street, Canal Walk, The Parade and Regent Street.

During the bust-up, Mr Beyer fell to the ground backwards, hitting his head on a concrete slab and being knocked unconscious.

Dr Jeffrey said: “Acting sooner to refer [him] could have increased his chances of survival but when looking at what the surgeons can do, there is only a certain amount in relation to a head injury.

“They can take out the blood clot and that would have relieved some of the pressure.

“Early review of the blood clot certainly might have helped and increase his chances of survival but it would have not been able to remove the bruising damage to the brain itself.”

A blood sample was taken from My Beyer a few hours after the altercation which found that he had 98 milligrammes of alcohol in 100ml of blood. The legal limit for driving is 80mcg.

Crown prosecutor Kerry Maylin informed the jury that as a result of Mr Beyer’s death, a report was carried out into the care he received at GWH by Dr Andrew Green.

She said: “He reviewed the medical records and treatment and concluded that it was, in his opinion, that Mr Beyer’s care at GWH was inadequate and not in accordance with NICE guidelines.

“The staff made the association that his condition was due to him being intoxicated. This was possibly made by the fact Mr Beyer was agitated and there was some form of communication problem from him.”

Marcin’s brother Zbigniew Koscielniak is also on trial in the proceedings where he faces a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm.

The trial continues.

In as statement, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “All patients, especially those with head injuries, should be assessed, diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible and, following our own investigation, have made improvements to ensure this happens routinely, such as introducing a new safety checklist to help standardise care given to patients while they wait for decisions around their treatment to be made, and bringing in additional nurses so that initial assessments happen within 15 minutes of a patient’s arrival.

“Staff are also continuing to receive regular training on how to spot the often subtle signs of head injuries in patients who arrive at hospital while severely intoxicated.

“We met with Mr Beyer’s family as soon as the investigation was complete to explain what happened and to offer our deepest sympathies for their loss.”