A recovering alcoholic left alone by A&E staff at a Birmingham hospital died after falling and suffering a brain injury, the city’s coroner will hear today.

Loshman Deb, a father-of-four who lived in Small Heath, was taken to Heartlands Hospital after collapsing in a shop in January 25, 2007.

The 34-year-old, who was apparently drunk when admitted, had been left alone to go to the toilet and while in there fell and hit his head on the cubicle floor.

Staff bandaged the wound but Mr Deb was not examined by the doctor or given a CT scan, both of which should have happened straight away under National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) guidelines.

Instead he suffered internal bleeding, and the extent of his injury was only discovered later that day, when doctors found he had a subdural haemorrhage.

By that time his injury was too severe and he could not be saved. Mr Deb died the next morning after his life support machine was switched off.

Richard Follis, partner and clinical negligence specialist at Birmingham-based law firm Shoosmiths, said: “The issue here centres on whether Mr Deb’s life was beyond saving from the time he hit his head on the cubicle floor, or whether the hospital’s delay and failure to assess him after the fall contributed to his death.

“There is no good place to suffer a subdural haemorrhage. It is unfortunate that even though this happened in an A&E cubicle, it was not recognised for some time.

“There is also a suspicion that Mr Deb’s history of alcoholism, and the fact he was admitted whilst apparently drunk, may have affected the way he was managed when he had his accident in hospital.”

Birmingham coroner Aidan Cotter will preside over a five-day inquest into Mr Deb’s death. Kalbir Deb, his 32-year-old wife, said: “Despite Loshman’s alcoholism, which he had got under control in the six months leading up to his death, he was always a loving husband and a loving father to our four young children.

“He was very dedicated to his family and was looking forward to a positive future, but by the time the seriousness of his injury was recognised it was too late to save him.

“The sudden loss of my husband has caused so much heartache and trauma for our family.”