NHS doctors failed to tell a man he was terminally ill and robbed him of the final months with his family, an investigation found.
Dad and grandad Syd Chapman died aged 58 in 2022 from the incurable lung disease pulmonary fibrosis.
Hospital medics neglected to tell him he had the condition and gave him “unfounded reassurance that he would be all right”, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman said.
He only found out his diagnosis when his GP mentioned it in passing on the phone.
As a result, dad-of-seven Syd – real name William – continued working at his cleaning business until he was too sick to carry on.
“If he had known the truth, he would have given up work and made the most of the time he had left with his family
Chantelle ,
His 32-year-old daughter, Chantelle, said: “We feel completely let down.
“My dad carried on working because he thought he was going to get better, because that’s what they led him to believe.
“If he had known the truth, he would have given up work and made the most of the time he had left with his family.
“By the time he was given the information to make that decision he was too poorly to work anyway, he was practically bed-bound.
“We all lost that time to spend together and we have lost our trust in the NHS.”
Syd, from Upton in Cheshire, had been seen at the Countess of Chester NHS Trust, where killer nurse Lucy Letby once worked.
Doctors in the specialist lung department sent a letter to his GP noting that he had pulmonary fibrosis, but did not tell Syd the diagnosis, as they should have done.
Pulmonary fibrosis causes scarring inside the lungs that gets worse over time and makes it harder to breathe until it is eventually fatal.
‘Disturbing case’
Rebecca Hilsenrath KC, CEO of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, said: “This disturbing case highlights the importance of effective communication and the consequences of getting it wrong.
“When you hear this kind of diagnosis in this way, you lose a sense of dignity and the opportunity to make your own decisions about how to live your life.”
She added that the family’s suffering was made worse by the fact the hospital took longer than a year to respond to their complaint.
A spokesperson for the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Trust said: “We apologise unreservedly for the experiences of Mr Chapman and his family.
“We fully accept the findings and recommendations of the Ombudsman and will continue to embed the improvements”.
RECORD NHS COMPO TO GRIEVING FAMILIES
THE NHS paid out a record high £123million to families of patients who died after blunders by doctors and nurses last year.
The staggering nine-figure “kill bill”, obtained by The Sun using FoI laws, shows it coughed up to 1,279 families following a slew of serious medical negligence failures.
Victims of NHS blunders include children, women in labour and sick Brits attacked by another patient inside hospitals.
It includes hundreds of cases where delays in diagnosing medical conditions directly led to a patient’s death.
Each family was paid an average settlement of £96,000, though some cases pursued through mediation body NHS Resolution can be ended with no financial payout.
The number of cases settled has hit an all-time high and payouts soared by £30million in only two years.
Our stats show that £30million alone was forked over to families after NHS Trusts delayed the treatment of medical conditions until patients were terminally sick.
In other cases doctors or specialists missed the health problems, including cancers, altogether.
