Hospital apologises after mother 'neglected' before death

A daughter has won an apology from Sandwell Hospital bosses after claiming her terminally ill mother was ‘neglected and forgotten’ in the days before her death.

Caroline Fellows, from West Bromwich, died on July 30, 2014, after suffering from secondary lung cancer.

The great-grandmother, who was 77 years old, had spent her final 10 days at the town’s hospital.

Daughter Loraine Yarnold says her mother suffered unexplained bruising and was ‘forgotten’ by staff.

The pensioner’s pleas for help were captured on a dictaphone left at her bedside by the concerned family.

Loraine said:

After Caroline died, they waited 17 months for an autopsy to confirm her cause of death, meaning she could not be laid to rest.

When the examination was finally carried out the result was found to be ‘inconclusive’ because a large amount of time had passed.

Loraine and husband Robert met with the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service team on April 26 this year to discuss the outcome of the investigation.

She said she was still not completely satisfied that lessons had been learned, although she is grateful that she can now finally lay her mother to rest.

“I’m glad they’ve acknowledged that they did wrong,” said Loraine. “It has taken us nearly two years. They did admit failings in the meeting, but I did not get all the answers I wanted.

“They said that they would use my mum’s experience as a training curve but I’m doubtful about how much is going to change on that ward."

The Trust has now apologised after carrying out an investigation into the family’s complaints.

Colin Ovington, Chief Nurse at Sandwell Hospital, said: