Clacton man raises concerns over late father's healthcare

Peter Emery, 66, died in the arms of his beloved wife, Janis, 62, on March 10 at his home in Foxglove Close, Clacton.

The former scaffolder was battling cancer at the time of his death and also suffered from a lung disease, which had been diagnosed in 2011.

Following a post-mortem examination, a coroner ruled Mr Emery’s cause of death was a result of acute exacerbation of long-term lung diseases.

Contributing factors included pneumonia, honeycomb lung, liver cirrhosis and exposure to asbestos.

Mr Emery’s son, Nicholas, 37, however, claims his father was never told he suffered with asbestosis and believes he could have lived longer if he had known.

“When he died in my mum’s arms, my dad had a litre and half of fluid on his lungs, which he drowned on,” said Nicholas.

“He had asked his consultant whether or not any of his conditions could be to do with asbestos, but he was told they were not.

“We never even knew he had it until after he died.”

In the days leading up to his death, Mr Emery was visited by paramedics who are said to have told him he did not need hospital intervention, but advised him to contact his GP.

Two days later, however, Mr Emery died not long after he had been visited by a doctor.

“He could just about sit himself up in the bed he was that weak and we believed he needed hospital treatment,” added Nicholas

In a document sent to Nicholas, which has been seen by the Gazette, the ambulance trust acknowledged “the level of patient assessment and documentation reviewed was not to the best practice standard”.

Nicholas also raised concerns about the treatment his father received while he was at Colchester Hospital.

While being cared for in one of the critical care units, Mr Emery was found without his oxygen mask on and a syringe of oral morphine in his hands which had been left on his bedside table.

A few days later, a box of steroids was found on the table, despite the fact all medication should be kept locked away to ensure patient safety.

Fluid charts were also found to have not been filled in correctly.

In a separate document sent to Nicholas, the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust said: “We truly regret that oral medication was left on Mr Emery’s table.

“Medications should either be kept locked in the patient’s bedside locker or kept locked in the treatment room to ensure the safety of all of our patients.”

The ward’s sister has also said she is “truly sorry that this did not happen”.

Nicholas, who lost his leg during an industrial accident in 2007 and lives in the family home, said: “During this time he was really ill and a doctor even said it was miracle he was still alive.”

After recently filing several complaints and enlisting the help of a specialist solicitor, Nicholas was sent a 33-page document, including his dad’s medical records.

However, among the documents, he also found confidential documents of a completely different patient who was battling similar issues.

He added: “I had to go on a confidential website and provide evidence that he was my father and then they sent me all his documents.

“I was going through my father’s records and it was hard to read about the pain he was in, but then I read someone else’s name.

“I’m not that sort of person but you could commit fraud - it had all of their details. It is awful this was able to happen.”

Health bosses are now investigating Nicholas Emery’s complaints over his father’s treatment.

Giles Thorpe, chief nurse at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester Hospital, said: “We would like to offer our sincerest and deepest condolences to Mr Emery’s family.

“Our complaints team work with clinical colleagues to look into every aspect of any complaint we receive so we can make sure we learn from them. 

“We will be meeting with Mr Emery’s family in due course to discuss their concerns about his care and to support them further.”

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service added: “We are sorry Mr Emery’s family had concerns about the service and would like to reiterate our condolences to them. 

“We have fully investigated the issues and have shared our findings with them.

“We are committed to ensuring patients receive the best possible care.

“We always review cases where there is an opportunity for improvement and share any lessons we learn across the trust and with patients and families in the interests of openness.”