Thomas Langley

PFD Report All Responded Ref: 2024-0029
Date of Report 23 January 2024
Coroner Sabyta Kaushal
Response Deadline est. 19 March 2024
All 1 response received · Deadline: 19 Mar 2024
Coroner's Concerns (AI summary)
Travelodge hotels lack 24-hour availability of fully trained first aid staff, and all employees lack comprehensive basic first aid training, posing a risk during emergencies.
View full coroner's concerns
1. There is no fully trained First aid trained employee on site at a Travel Lodge hotel premises for 24 hours of the day; at present there is a fully trained first aid employee on site from only 7am to 7pm. Emergency medical situations could present themselves between after 7pm and 7am and when there is only 1 Travel Lodge employee on the premises.
2. All staff employees do not presently have basic first aid training with regular follow up refresher courses.
i.e. they do not have both online AND face to face practical training to assess and handle emergency medical situations that may present themselves day or night - situations that may cause an employee and residents staying at a Travel Lodge to panic. It may be the case that they have a lack of understanding of the present first aid training. This training is key at night when there is only 1 member of staff on site at a Travel Lodge hotel premises. Regulation 28 – After Inquest CONTROLLED Document Template Updated 30/07/2021
Responses
Travelodge
11 Mar 2024
Action Taken
Travelodge will extend basic first aid training to all reception team members, including night shift staff, to ensure 24/7 coverage. All other hotel team members will continue to receive first aid information and instruction to act as appointed persons. (AI summary)
View full response
Dear Ms Kaushal

Thank you for your Regulation 28 report dated 23 January 2024, concerning the circumstances relating to the passing of Mr Thomas Roy Langley, which your report confirms was sadly caused as a result of Mr Langley taking a toxic level of a number of substances at some point during his stay at the Derby Cricket Ground Travelodge on the 21st - 22nd May 2019. I have read your report in detail, and as a result I reviewed our existing first aid arrangements, paying particular reference to this incident. This review has included discussions with other departments across the wider business, as well as a review of all the incidents reported as requiring the provision of first aid assistance during 2023, which confirms, as with the review of incidents reported during 2019 which was undertaken following notification of the inquest, that the majority of the incidents that require first aid assistance still occur during the day, with only circa 9% of incidents occurring between the hours of 00:00 and 06:00. It should also be noted that the first aid provisions in place at the Derby Cricket Ground Travelodge at the time this tragic incident occurred complied with the legal obligations placed upon Travelodge by the Health & Safety (First Aid) at Work Regulations 1981 (“The Regulations”). The first aid risk assessment was undertaken as required by The Regulations, and follows the guidance set out with the Health & Safety Executive’s (“HSE”) guidance document ‘First aid at work: Guidance on regulations’, which advises that for low hazard environments, such as offices and shops, which would include Travelodge hotels, with fewer than 25 employees on duty, only 1 first aid Appointed Person is required.

The guidance also states that under The Regulations, employers have no legal duty to provide first aid for non-employees / members of the public, but recommends that we consider them when undertaking our assessments, which Travelodge had done and as a result had provided the hotel management teams with basic first aid training, above what was required for a first aid Appointed Person. Travelodge reviews its safety and security policies and risk assessments on an annual basis, or more frequently if an incident occurs indicating that a review of a current policy, procedure or risk assessment is required. Prior to the incident involving Mr Langley occurring in May 2019, this risk assessment was reviewed in January 2019, and confirmed to continue to be adequate and appropriate. Additionally, it should also be noted that the pathologist specifically stated that due to the level of toxins taken by Mr Langley, no amount of first aid provision that could have been provided at the hotel would have altered the subsequently tragic fatal outcome. Having reviewed our existing arrangements, taking into account the number of incidents reported, types of injuries reported that require first aid assistance, the times of day when incidents tend to occur and the specific circumstances relating to the passing of Mr Langley, I have concluded that our existing first aid arrangements of providing basic first aid training to the members of our hotel management teams, who are generally on site at hotels during the day when the majority of incidents requiring the provision of first aid occur, continues to be adequate and appropriate. However, in light of your concerns, we have decided to extend the level of training given to all reception team members, including those who cover the night shift, to include the basic level of first aid training currently provided to our management teams. This will result in over 3,500 extra Travelodge team members being provided with basic first aid training, and will ensure that there will always be a team member on duty that has had a basic level of first aid training 24hrs a day. We are currently working through the logistics of providing

this additional training to such a large number of team members, which will be implemented at the earliest opportunity this year. All other hotel team members will continue to be provided with adequate and appropriate first aid information and instruction to enable them to undertake the duties of a first aid appointed person should the need arise. Thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention.
Sent To
  • Travel Lodge
Response Status
Linked responses 1 of 1
56-Day Deadline 19 Mar 2024
All responses received
About PFD responses

Organisations named in PFD reports must respond within 56 days explaining what actions they are taking.

Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Report Sections
Investigation and Inquest
On 22 May 2019 I commenced an investigation into the death of Thomas Roy LANGLEY aged 24. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 18 January 2024. The conclusion of the inquest was that: Thomas Roy Langley, date of birth 12th July 1994, of , had a history of mental illness to include depression, schizophrenia, learning difficulties, alcohol and drug misuse; there had been several drug overdoses. On the evening of 21st May 2019, he arrived at the Travel Lodge Hotel, County Ground Derby. During the early hours of 22nd May 2019, he took toxic levels of MDMA

, which sadly resulted in his death on 22nd May 2019 at the hotel.
Circumstances of the Death
Found collapsed in hotel room.
Copies Sent To
following
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Data sourced from Courts and Tribunals Judiciary under the Open Government Licence.