'He had so much hope': Family share heartbreak after doctors failed to tell man he was terminally ill
An investigation from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman found that doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital showed a "worrying lack of accountability" and failed to keep proper records
A family in Chester has told LBC that their father was wrongly told by doctors that he would be okay, despite having a terminal illness.
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Syd Chapman, 58, was referred to The Countess of Chester Hospital in July 2021 after struggling with a shortness of breath.
He had a blood test and a scan of his lungs, which showed he had terminal pulmonary fibrosis, but was wrongly told by doctors at the time that he would be fine.
Mr Chapman continued to go to work and live his life normally for another six months, thinking he would get better and only found out he was dying after his GP, who thought Mr Chapman already knew, mentioned the terminal illness on the phone.
Read more: Doctors at Countess of Chester Hospital failed to tell a father-of-seven he was terminally ill
His daughter, Chantelle Parker said: “It was in December when his breathlessness had worsened.
“His treatment was basically non-existent, he was just struggling and working full time.
“He called the GP and asked if there was anything he could do, and that’s when the GP was surprised and asked my dad if he was aware of his diagnoses.
“He told my dad he’s got pulmonary fibrosis, that they’ve got this on record and have done for some time.
“You can imagine, from being told you’re going to be okay, to being told you’ve got a terminal illness, by a phone call. It was shocking.
“My dad was on his own when he found out as well because, of course, he wasn’t expecting to be told that.
“He died eight months later.”
Pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease where scar tissue builds up in the lungs, making breathing increasingly difficult.
Treatment can help slow the rate at which the condition worsens, but there is currently no cure.
Syd’s wife, Gaynor Chapman, told LBC she blames The Countess of Chester Hospital for robbing them of the best of the time they had left together.
“Syd’s mum lives in Northern Ireland. If he knew he was dying, he would’ve gone to Belfast to say goodbye to her and give her one last hug. That was taken away from him.
“By the time Syd found out, it was like the lights had gone out.
“We know that if Syd had found out he was dying, he would’ve lived to the fullest. They took that from him, time we won’t get back.
“He had so much hope as well because they gave him that, and in one phone call, it was taken away.
“They say that they’re sorry, we’re just not taking that.”
An investigation from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) found that doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital showed a "worrying lack of accountability" and failed to keep proper records, engage fully with Mr Chapman's family or learn from mistakes.
Rebecca Hilsenrath KC, Chief Executive Officer at PHSO said: “We felt that the Trust dealt with that complaint really badly. They basically failed to listen.
“They took a year to respond, they failed to investigate, they didn’t acknowledge what had happened or the impact, and it didn’t take steps to learn.
“It was a long and painful process, and unnecessarily so.”
A Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson 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”.