A FATHER-of-three was left to die five hours after an ambulance crew was called and paramedics misdiagnosed his horror disease.
Steve Holbrook-Siston, 67, started developing the disease after he caught Covid-19 in October 2021, a few days after receiving a third booster jab.
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The former teacher and college tutor was showing vital signs of sepsis.
First, high fever and breathing difficulties, and about a week later, confusion and poor urine output.
So his wife Jan Holbrook, 70, called the NHS 111 helpline on the evening of October 30.
They told her an ambulance would arrive within two and a half hours from the time she called.
But an ambulance crew did not arrive until three hours later, at 2.10am.
When they finally got there and carried out an hour of inspections, paramedics did not suspect Steve had sepsis.
She said: “I knew something wasn’t right but when the first ambulance crew left, I don’t think Steve had been fully assessed and we weren’t given any advice.
After they left, the beloved father’s condition and breathing worsened into the morning, so his wife called 999 again.
This was around 5.30am.
The call was reportedly triaged as category 2, which usually has an average response time of 18 minutes.
But the ambulance took more than two hours.
At around 6.25, Jan called the emergency crews again to report Steve was gasping for breath and unresponsive.
They were too late.
Steve passed away by the time the second ambulance crew arrived at 7.40am.
“When the second crew finally arrived I just said ‘you’re too late, he’s already dead,” Jan said.
“That moment will stay with me forever.
“Steve was a loving husband, an incredible dad, and the kindest soul you could ever meet.
“He was the unique presence that held our family together.
The father-of-three lived with his wife of 35 years in Storrington, West Sussex.
“Watching him slip away, knowing something was horribly wrong but feeling powerless, was the most terrible experience of my life.
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“The pain of losing Steve remains as raw now approaching four years on as it did the day he died.
“The hardest thing to try and come to terms with is knowing that he might still be here if he’d received the care he needed and deserved.”
Steve leaves behind three children, Maddy, 39, who has cerebral palsy, Alex, 37, and Marcus, 30.
Following his death, Jan has recruited lawyers to investigate the care that was given to Steve.
It comes after South East Coast Ambulance NHS Trust admitted a breach of duty in connection with the 67-year-old’s death.
They admitted Steve could have survived if taken to hospital and received appropriate care within two hours.
Chief exectuvie of the Ambulance Trust, Simon Welder, apologised in a letter to Jan for the “mismanagement” of her husband’s care.
He wrote: “Words cannot express how deeply sorry we are.
“This is not the standard of care the Trust strive to provide and I am truly sorry for the Trust’s failings.”
Irwin Mitchell lawyers and the Ambulance Trust are now working towards a settlement for Steve’s loved ones.
The expert medical negligence layer representing Jan, Laura Hayes-Payne, said: “The admitted failings in Steve’s care are deeply concerning and highlight the devastating consequences of when sepsis isn’t recognised.
“We and Jan firmly believe that Steve’s symptoms should have prompted an urgent admission to hospital, and once there, he would have received the life-saving treatment he needed.
“While we welcome the Ambulance Trust’s admission and apology, it’s vital that lessons are learned from Steve’s case to ensure other families don’t suffer like Jan and her family have.
“Sepsis is a medical emergency and early detection is vital to saving lives.”
Signs include slurred speech, confusion, extreme shivering and muscle pain, passing no urine in a day, severe breathlessness and mottled or discoloured skin.
