Countess of Chester Hospital failed to tell man he was dying

Hospital doctors failed to tell a father-of-seven he was terminally ill and falsely assured him he would recover, the Health Ombudsman has found.

William Chapman, known as Sid, was told “not to worry” by doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital after he was admitted to hospital with shortness of breath in July 2021.

But the 58-year-old learned he had in fact been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable lung disease, when his doctor mentioned it in passing over the phone in December that year – eight months before his death.

The Countess of Chester Hospital said it “unreservedly apologised” and accepted the findings of the Parliamentary and Health Ombudsman's (PHSO) investigation.

Mr Chapman's daughter Chantelle Parker, 32, said her family had “lost trust in the NHS”.

“My father thought he would get better because they made him believe it,” she said.

“Because of this, he continued to work, although it was a struggle for him.

“If he knew the truth, he would quit his job and make the most of his remaining time with his family.”

PHSO found that after Mr Chapman, from Upton, near Chester, first attended hospital in July, he was referred to a specialist lung unit for assessment.

In September 2021, a junior doctor told a former soldier who ran a cleaning business that he had “nothing to worry about”.

PHSO said the doctor was unaware of this and that Mr Chapman was falsely assured.

In November, the consultant diagnosed Chapman with pulmonary fibrosis and wrote a letter to his GP, but did not send the letter to the patient or otherwise contact him.

Mr Chapman's doctor believed he had been told and casually mentioned the diagnosis in a general discussion of his symptoms, meaning it came as a complete shock.

PHSO said the Countess of Chester took a year to respond to the family's complaint, failed to listen to their concerns and did not initially recognize what was wrong.

It was also found that consultations with doctors were not properly recorded in Mr Chapman's medical records, and sometimes were not recorded at all.

Rebecca Hilsenrath KS, PHSO CEO, called the investigation a “disturbing case.”

“When you hear a diagnosis like that, you lose your sense of dignity and ability to make your own decisions about how to live your life,” she said.

“The family’s trauma was compounded by treatment during the hospital’s internal complaints process.”

Ms Parker said a relative offered to pay for her father's treatment privately, but he had “so much faith in the NHS” that he refused.

She added: “Medical staff have a responsibility to tell patients what is really going on.

“It was very difficult for all of us to lose him after we were told he would be OK.”

The PHSO recommended that the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust admit its failings and apologize to Mr Chapman's family, improve the quality of care, improve record-keeping and pay his wife £1,200.

It said the trust had complied with the requirements.