Patient with Down’s Syndrome died after hospital ‘left him without food for 20 days’
The inquest into his death heard he was given a feeding tube for 24 hours before he was left with no food or fluids
A MAN with Down’s Syndrome wasted away in a hospital bed 'without food for 20 days' because of poor treatment from medical staff, an inquest heard.
Giuseppe ‘Joe’ Ulleri died after confusion over his feeding tube left him starving at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) three years ago.
Joe, 61, suffered an unexplained fall at home and after being discharged from A&E was re-admitted and found to have fractures to his pelvis, wrist and neck.
Relatives say he was denied food for almost three weeks because of miscommunication between staff, which led him to developing fatal pneumonia.
A jury at Manchester City Coroner’s Court was told Joe was found in a pool of blood on the floor of his bedroom at a supported living complex in Didsbury, Manchester, on February 26, 2016.
He was taken to hospital and had an X-ray on his ankle, but doctors found no fractures and sent him home.
HOSPITAL'S FATAL CONFUSION
By the next day his conditioned had worsened and he was struggling to put weight on his left leg, so he was taken back to MRI.
Acting area coroner for Manchester City Angharad (corr) Davies told the jury Joe had also developed some difficulty swallowing.
He was admitted to the hospital and later tests found he had broken his wrist and hip.
Joe had a long period of time when he had no nutritional support, the only support was during that 24 hours when the tube was in place
Angharad (corr) Davies
The coroner added: “Whilst in hospital Joe was looked after by a range of different staff, from nurses, to speech specialists to dieticians.
“A naso-gastric feeding tube was fitted, but that proved problematic and it was only in place for 24 hours.
“After that Joe had a long period of time when he had no nutritional support, the only support was during that 24 hours when the tube was in place.”
Joe died on March 20 while medics at the hospital were still debating the best way to feed him.
MOST READ IN NEWS
Speaking about his brother’s treatment after his fall he said: “We have major concerns about the quality of care he received at Manchester Royal Infirmary."
The coroner told the jury they would be asked to decide on a number of issues including the question of whether Joe’s injuries, which were diagnosed on the 27 of February 2016, were sustained in his accident the previous day
The inquest is expected to last until the end of this week.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.