NEED TO KNOW
- A U.K. man continued to work at his job, despite feeling sick, because doctors failed to inform him that he was suffering from a terminal illness, an investigation discovered
- William “Syd” Chapman visited a hospital several times in 2021 due to shortness of breath and was never told of his diagnoses
- Syd ultimately died at age 58 in August 2022
A U.K. man continued to “struggle” through work after his doctors failed to let him know he had a terminal illness.
William Chapman, known by loved ones as “Syd,” made several visits to The Countess of Chester Hospital in Chesire between July and November 2021 after complaining of shortness of breath, according to a release obtained by PEOPLE from England’s Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), an independent body that investigates complaints about the National Health Service (NHS).
During his multiple visits, Syd, a father of seven who ultimately died at age 58 in August 2022, was told he had COVID-19 and would make a full recovery, and so he continued working and living as usual, despite feeling ill, per the release.
However, in December, Syd’s GP informed him that he had pulmonary fibrosis — a progressive, terminal disease that makes it hard to breathe. The GP assumed Syd already knew about the diagnosis based on paperwork sent to the GP’s office by the hospital from a November visit — but Syd had never been told.
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Syd’s daughter, Chantelle, 32, said that his family feels “completely let down” by the hospital, noting that her father would have made different choices with the time he had left had he known he was suffering from a terminal illness.
“My dad thought he was going to get better, because that’s what they led him to believe,” she said in a statement provided to PHSO. “Because of that he carried on working even though it was a struggle for him.”
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She continued, “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.”
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman
“Medical staff have a duty of care to tell patients what is really happening. It was very traumatic for us all to lose him after being told that he would be fine,” she added.
While PHSO said they found no failings with Syd’s clinical treatment during his visits to the hospital, CEO Rebecca Hilsenrath called the case “disturbing.”
“This disturbing case highlights the importance of effective communication and the consequences of getting it wrong,” she said per the PHSO release. “When you hear this kind of diagnosis in this kind in this way, you lose a sense of dignity and the opportunity to make your own decisions about how to live your life.”
Hilsenrath also noted that the family’s “trauma was compounded” by the lack of care and attention that the hospital provided after an internal complaint was filed.
PHSO ultimately recommended the hospital “acknowledge its failings and apologize to Syd’s family, make service improvements, improve its record keeping, and pay Syd’s wife $1,600,” per the release. The hospital has since complied.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, a Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “We apologize 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.”
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