The complaint
Syd's family complained that doctors failed to tell him he had a terminal illness, giving him false reassurance that he would be all right. They also complained that the Trust's handling of their subsequent complaint compounded their distress.
Background
William Chapman, known as Syd, 58, was from Upton, Cheshire. He was a grandfather of 16, had served in the Royal Irish Rangers and ran a cleaning business.
Syd went to hospital in July 2021 with worsening shortness of breath and was diagnosed with COVID-19. He was referred to the specialist lung department the following month for further tests.
In September, a junior doctor told Syd there was nothing to worry about and gave him unfounded reassurance that he would be all right, when this was not known to be the case.
On 1 November, Syd was seen by a consultant who noted in a letter to his GP that he had pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and terminal lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. The consultant did not send Syd the letter or tell him about the diagnosis, as they should have.
Syd found out he had pulmonary fibrosis when he spoke to his GP in December. The GP thought hospital doctors had already told him the full scale of his condition. Syd died eight months later, in August 2022.
Believing he was going to get better, Syd had continued working despite finding it a struggle. A relative offered to pay for him to have private treatment, but he had such faith in the NHS that he turned it down.
What we found
We upheld this complaint. We found that Syd was given false reassurances about his prognosis. This stopped him making informed decisions about his health. It also meant he was not prepared when he was later told his illness was extremely serious. We found no failings with the clinical care given to Syd. The failings related to communication and record keeping.
Hospital staff failed to listen to Syd's family. Consultations were not recorded properly in his medical records and sometimes not recorded at all.
The Trust took over a year to respond to the family's complaint and did not adequately investigate what happened or acknowledge all its failings. This meant the family had to go through an unnecessarily long and painful process to get the answers they were seeking.
While the Trust acknowledged that it had provided false reassurance to Syd, it had not taken adequate steps to make sure this does not happen again.
This case shows how quickly trust in public services can be lost. It highlights why NHS leaders need to build a consistent culture of openness and honesty.
Putting it right
We recommended that the Trust:
- acknowledge its failings
- apologise to Syd's family
- make service improvements
- improve its record keeping.
The Trust was also asked to pay Syd's wife £1,200. The Trust has complied.