Pensioner with terminal cancer sent home from hospital without being told he had killer disease

• Trevor Roberts, 68, was admitted to the Royal Bolton Hospital for tests after concerns about painful lumps which had developed across his body
• Tests revealed he was suffering from terminal cancer but neither the patient nor his family were informed about his condition
• He was allowed to go home but two days later was taken to another hospital feeling unwell and told he had terminal lung cancer
• 'We feel absolutely devastated about losing him so quickly' his grieving daughter admits

 

Horrific: Trevor Roberts, 68, was discharged from hospital without being told he was suffering from terminal cancer

A man was discharged from hospital without being told he was suffering from terminal cancer.
Trevor Roberts, 68, returned home completely unaware of the seriousness of his condition.
He continued to feel desperately unwell and only found out he had terminal lung cancer after being taken to another hospital where the news of his condition was revealed.
He died just days later without ever returning home.
Yesterday the hospital responsible apologised to his family saying there had been ‘errors in communication.’
But last night his family said they were still reeling from the ‘appalling’ oversight and had been left ‘heartbroken and angry’ by the shocking mistake.
His daughter Sharon Taylor, 46, said: ‘Because we didn’t know his condition was so grave, my dad’s grandchildren were abroad on holiday in Turkey and were unable to say goodbye before he died.
‘The whole family is heartbroken about that and still coming to terms with it.
‘If action had been taken sooner, my dad could have been given more time with his family and would have had the opportunity to come to terms with his illness, put his affairs in order and say goodbye.’
Mr Roberts from Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, died six weeks after first visiting his GP in July 2009 following his concerns about painful lumps he had developed across his body.

The retired warehouse supervisor was referred to the Royal Bolton Hospital where on August 1 he was admitted for tests.
A complete set of tests was carried out which revealed he was suffering from cancer and that the disease had spread throughout his body and was terminal.
But despite the diagnosis, neither the patient nor his family were informed about his condition.
He was allowed to go home two days later but continued to feel desperately unwell and on 16 August he was taken to the accident and emergency department of the Salford Royal Hospital.

Awful: The pensioner only found out he had terminal lung cancer after being taken to another hospital where the news of his condition was revealed

Once there a doctor broke the news to Mr Roberts that scans he had previously at the Royal Bolton Hospital showed he had terminal lung cancer.
Mr Roberts’ wife Margaret and children, Sharon, Martin and Paul, had hoped to take him home to spend quality time together.
But they were advised by doctors that he was too frail to survive the eight-mile journey and he died at the hospital just five days later.
His daughter Mrs Taylor, from Astley, near Wigan, said: ‘My dad was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and an important figure in all our lives.
‘The rapid deterioration in his health took us all by surprise and we feel absolutely devastated about losing him so quickly and in such circumstances.
‘The Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust made no attempt to contact us about my dad’s condition and the terrible results of the scan after he was discharged, which we are really angry about.’

Worrying: Tests at the Royal Bolton Hospital revealed Mr Roberts was suffering from terminal cancer but neither the patient nor his family were informed about his condition

She said: ‘We accept the cancer was too severe to treat with surgery or chemotherapy, but if doctors had shared information about his condition earlier he could have also received access to palliative care to make his life more comfortable.
‘We accept the Trust’s apology and are reassured that staff have changed their processes to ensure other families will not have to go through the same ordeal in future.’
Dr Jackie Bene, medical director at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said in a statement: ‘We fully accept that there were errors in communication made in Mr Roberts’ case in 2009 and have apologised to his family.
‘We realise that we can’t alter the outcome for them, but we examined the circumstances carefully so that we could learn from where we went wrong.
‘This was a very sad situation that no family should have had to go through and which we regret deeply.‘
[Please leave Irwin Mitchell quote] Sarah Sharples, the family’s solicitor at Irwin Mitchell law firm, said: ‘The lack of communication between departments is appalling.
‘The Trust’s apology has been noted and we hope that staff have taken this on board to ensure that, particularly in cases where patients sadly have little time left, test results are acted on.’