A hospital in Nottingham has apologised to the family of a man with cancer who died after being sent home with pneumonia.  60-year-old Richard Sharp from Bilborough died about an hour after being sent home from Nottingham City Hospital with clear symptoms of pneumonia. He died with his wife Kim by his side in March 2013.

Mr Sharp, who was already fighting lung cancer, had been attending a pre-operative clinic at Nottingham City Hospital when he started to show signs of pneumonia.  Despite the symptoms being very clear, hospital staff reportedly told Mr Sharp to go home and rest.  After being discharged from the clinic, Mr Sharp returned home where he collapsed and died about an hour later.

“They took my husband”

The chief executive of the Nottingham University Hospitals Trust, Peter Homa, wrote a letter to Mrs Sharp offering his “most sincere condolences”.  He apologised “unreservedly for the failures identified” and assured her that changes had been made since the fatal error.

He informed Mrs Sharp that alterations had been made to the individual roles and responsibilities of hospital staff, with all being reminded of the importance of tackling problems during the early stages.

Mrs Sharp said: “They took away my husband and they took away my life. How can I forgive them?” She is currently considering legal action.

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