A hospital trust has admitted failings after treating a man who suffered fatal head injuries trying to break up a fight as a drunk.

David Joslin, 23, of Kimberley Road in Chingford, died just days after being punched to the ground while intervening in an argument in Old Church Road shortly before Christmas 2009.

No-one was ever taken to court over his death.

More than three years later, an inquest heard today that Bart’s Health NHS Trust has accepted a report into Whipps Cross University Hospital’s treatment of Mr Joslin, which found failures in his care.

The report will be outlined tomorrow at Walthamstow Coroners Court but will refer to delays in giving Mr Joslin a CT brain scan as staff waited seven hours for him to sober up – despite evidence from friends suggesting he had had little to drink.

Father Phil Joslin told coroner Chinyere Inyama he was phoned at 3.30am on December 20 to come to hospital because his son was drunk, even though staff knew he had been admitted for head injuries.

He claimed it was not until 4pm that day that he found out he had been hurt in a fight.

Staff attempted a CT scan at 6am, but sent Mr Joslin back for observation after he became agitated and uncooperative – a clear sign of brain injury – but one that was put down to intoxication.

Mr Joslin snr said: “We were told he should be taken back to the ward and the only way they could CT scan him was if he was knocked out. That was identified as something that should happen.”

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines state that brain scans should be carried out on assault victims urgently even if they are agitated.

Dr Ahmed Furqan treated Mr Joslin at 10.45am on the morning of his admittance, and was told of his head injury but claimed he was informed the patient was being left to sober up, and gave him fluids to counter dehydration.

Counsel for the Joslin family James Weston said: “He had been there for seven hours. Didn’t you consider he should’ve been in a different state by now than when he first presented at 2.30am?”

Dr Furqan said: “It varies from person to person.”

He also missed a graze on the back of Mr Joslin’s head, despite it being in the patient’s notes, which he claimed to have read.

Mr Joslin was still awaiting the CT scan at 10pm, and Mr Weston claimed records show the delay was because there were no staff available to perform it on him.

Eventually a scan found his brain was haemorrhaging, and staff decided to transfer him to University College Hospital for expert treatment.

But the transfer did not take place until 2am due to what senior staff nurse Yakiana Thomson said was a mixture of following safety procedures and waiting for UCL staff to be ready.

John Holmes, representing Barts, said improvements have been made and guidelines are more strictly followed.

The inquest will conclude tomorrow whether the hospital failings contributed to Mr Joslin’s death.