Rotherham Hospital is blamed for Covid death

A GRIEVING mother said her diabetic son died at Rotherham Hospital of Covid-19 after being left in the busy A&E department for ten hours unable to shield.

Sheila Boulton said son Craig, a married dad of three whom she called the “light of my life”, had caught the virus after going in for a routine appointment last August.

Mrs Boulton (72) said her 44-year-old son, who lived in Broom Valley and was unable to work because of his poor health, had gone for his regular podiatry appointment but had trodden on something without realising because of being partially sighted.

As a result, his injured foot had begun to go septic and he was sent straight to A&E.

Mrs Boulton said she had donated a kidney to her son in 2010 and he had taken anti-rejection drugs ever since.

She said: “He asked to see a doctor instead or at least be isolated but was sent to A&E despite saying he was vulnerable because of his lowered levels of immunity because of the transplant.”

After repeatedly raising concerns with staff about his vulnerability, Craig, who had shielded throughout the pandemic, phoned his mum and told her a member of staff had said: “You take some pleasing, don’t you?”

He spent ten hours waiting in A&E before being moved from ward to ward until finally being put on ward B4, which Mrs Boulton said had been the busiest.

She said Craig had phoned her again to say he was worried his anti-rejection tablets had been taken away without explanation, saying: “They’re not treating me right”.

Mrs Boulton added: “Craig had been very cautious throughout Covid, shielding at home because he was vulnerable.”

Craig, who had tested negative for the virus on the day he was admitted, was tested again a few days later and the results came back positive.

“By this point, Craig was critical,” said Mrs Boulton. “He died on August 11, a week and a half after going in.”

A hospital inquiry reported it “couldn’t be certain” Mr Boulton had contracted Covid in hospital — but Mrs Boulton says his death certificate says “in black and white: ‘Covid-19 acquired in hospital’.”

She added: “I want to give my son a voice.

“The hospital does not treat vulnerable patients properly and I want to prevent anyone else going through what Craig did. I know he would want me to do that.

“Our family is living with the pain of losing Craig.

“I had two sons, they were the lights of my life.

“One of those lights has gone out.”

Mrs Boulton wrote to the hospital to complain and had a meeting two months ago but said she had still not received an apology.

Noting a recent Care Quality Commission report which ranked the hospital as requiring improvement’, she said it was “clear it does not learn any lessons”.  

A spokesperson for Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust said: “We would like to reiterate our heartfelt condolences to Mr Boulton’s family.     

“We have conducted a thorough investigation and are implementing the recommendations that the report identified.

“These findings have been shared with Mr Boulton’s family.”