- Freddie Sanders, 66, was admitted to Whipps Cross Hospital, East London
- His widow Jennifer claims staff there ate the food she took in for him
- Claims her dog was treated better at vets than Mr Sanders was in hospital
- She is now suing the hospital over its treatment of her late husband
Sophie Borland Health Editor For The Daily Mail
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Heartless NHS staff ate the food a wife brought into hospital for her cancer-stricken husband, she claims.
Jennifer Sanders, who is suing the hospital over its treatment of her late husband Freddie, also says staff took away his dignity by being rude and not washing him promptly during his 10 months there.
The retired florist said: ‘My Jack Russell dog Riley-Boy was recently treated at a veterinary hospital and he received better care than Freddie.
Freddie Sanders, 66, already had prostate cancer and diabetes when he was admitted to Whipps Cross Hospital, East London, with a severe cough on Boxing Day 2013 (he is pictured with Jennifer in 1975)
‘I’ve often thought to myself if I put my Freddie in there, instead of that hospital, would he still be here now. His food was taken from a fridge when he was on that ward.
‘I’d bought him Marks Spencer carrot cake, jelly terrine, vanilla custard, and some Cornish clotted cream and made him up a bowl, trying to encourage him to eat.
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‘When I went to get it the following day there was nothing left, except an empty carrot cake wrapper at the bottom of the fridge, the cream and jelly had gone and there was just a tiny blob of custard left.’
Mrs Sanders, 69, added: ‘He was lying there like a bag of bones, he lost nearly eight kilograms over the period of a month from when he had been admitted, yet someone helped themselves.’
Mr Sanders, 66, already had prostate cancer and diabetes when he was admitted to Whipps Cross Hospital, East London, with a severe cough on Boxing Day 2013.
Jennifer Sanders, who is suing the hospital over its treatment of her late husband Freddie, also says staff took away his dignity by being rude and not washing him promptly during his 38 days there
And his widow believes the former council worker was prescribed the wrong medication during his stay, contributing to his eventual death by being given laxatives even though he already had diarrhoea.
Mr Sanders eventually died in November 2014 and his family has now launched legal action against Whipps Cross Hospital.
Mrs Sanders, who now lives in Wickham Market, Suffolk, said: ‘How could a doctor walk past a man’s bed for 38 days when he was in such a state and not notice he shouldn’t have been prescribed a laxative.
‘The care he received left me so distraught I considered giving him and myself an overdose of tablets, just so he didn’t have to endure it any more.
‘I love him and I’ve been his wife for 45 years yet I wanted to kill him out of compassion because of what happened there.
‘There were failings in his care – they let him lie crying, covered in his own mess – he lost his dignity and he deserved better than that.’
Jodi Newton, a medical negligence lawyer from solicitors Riaa Barker Gillette who is representing Mrs Sanders, said: ‘The family have been left devastated by the tragic death of Mr Sanders which has been made far worse by the fact he wasn’t treated with dignity in what became his final months.’
The case is one of 93 to be highlighted by the Health Service Ombudsman in its latest report into NHS failings.
Dame Julie Mellor, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, said: ‘These cases bring home all the suffering patients and their families experience when things go wrong, particularly when complaints are not handled effectively at a local level.’
Barts Health NHS Trust, which runs Whipps Cross Hospital, said: ‘We deeply apologise to the family for the distress caused.
‘Since this time we have taken specific action to better control and prescribe medications to help prevent any recurrence. We have also introduced protected mealtimes so patients are properly supported to eat and drink, ensuring that their nutrition and hydration needs are met.’
Mr Sanders died in November 2014 and his wife has launched legal action against Whipps Cross Hospital
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