Doctors failed to tell father of seven he was terminally ill

A father of seven was not told he was terminally ill by doctors, who instead said he would be okay, an investigation has found.

William Chapman, known as Syd, only found out he had deadly pulmonary fibrosis when his GP, who thought he already knew the prognosis, mentioned it during a phone call. He died eight months later.

An investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has found 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. The 58-year-old, from Upton in Cheshire, died in 2022.

The grandfather of 16 was admitted to hospital in July 2021 with deteriorating shortness of breath and was diagnosed with COVID-19, and also underwent further tests. In September that year, a junior doctor told him there was nothing to worry about and reassured him he would be OK, despite not having evidence this would be true.

In November, Mr Chapman was seen by a consultant who noted in a letter to his GP he had pulmonary fibrosis. The condition involves a thickening and scarring of lung tissue, which worsens over time.

It makes it harder for the lungs to function, leading to increasing shortness of breath and a dry cough. There is no cure, and treatments can only work to relieve symptoms and slow down the condition a little.

The consultant did not send Mr Chapman a copy of the letter or tell him about the diagnosis, as they should have. 'We lost all that time to spend together' Mr Chapman's daughter Chantelle, 32, said: "We feel completely let down by the Trust.

"My dad thought he was going to get better, because that's what they led him to believe. Because of that he carried on working, even though it was a struggle for him.

"If he had known the truth, he would have given up work and made the most of the time he had left with his family. "By the time he was given the information to make that decision he was too poorly to work anyway, he was practically bed-bound.

We all lost that time to spend together." The PHSO ruled that if Mr Chapman had been told his prognosis, he would have been able to make informed decisions about his health. But as it was, he was not prepared when later told the extent of his condition.

It also found hospital staff failed to listen to his family and there was poor or no record-keeping of some consultations. The PHSO found no failings in clinical care.

The trust has complied with a recommendation to apologise, make service improvements, improve its recordkeeping and pay Mr Chapman's wife £1,200. 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.".