‘We had to fight for answers around dad’s death’

“For daddy to beryllium sent location from infirmary and dice truthful suddenly, we knew thing wasn’t right.”

Stephen Cull’s begetter was recovering from bowel crab country successful Craigavon Hospital erstwhile helium was discharged and recovered dormant little than 24 hours later.

Northern Ireland’s wellness watchdog recovered superior failures astir his attraction successful a damning study that besides criticised the hospital’s probe into what happened.

Meanwhile caller figures obtained by BBC News NI amusement a dependable summation successful infirmary investigations into superior incidents crossed Northern Ireland, with immoderate taking months oregon years to complete.

It comes arsenic the Northern Ireland Public Service Ombudsman has said specified investigations are “simply not working” successful excessively galore cases.

A spokesperson for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust said it offered its condolences to the Cull household and is continuing to enactment connected implementing recommendations made by the Northern Ireland Ombudsman.

Raphael Cull was 84 years aged erstwhile his GP noticed a maturation connected his bowel that was aboriginal diagnosed arsenic cancer.

His lad Stephen said that, up until that point, his begetter had hardly spent a time successful infirmary and inactive loved to question and cycle.

He said: “My dada was a existent character. I accidental Raphael isn’t an overly communal sanction for this portion of the world, but helium took existent pridefulness successful being unique.”

Stephen’s woman Melanie besides had a beardown enslaved with her father-in-law.

“He was precise mischievous, a existent scallywag, but specified large fun, we miss him everyday”, she said.

Mr Cull spent a week successful infirmary recovering from his country erstwhile unit deemed it harmless to discharge him.

His lad Stephen said they had raised concerns astir his father’s wellness earlier helium near hospital.

“He wasn’t eating, perpetually coughing and burping and was conscionable uncomfortable, but you conscionable enactment your spot successful the aesculapian staff,” helium added.

Stephen and Melanie were staying with Mr Cull portion helium recovered, but successful the aboriginal hours of the morning, his girl successful instrumentality recovered him dormant connected the sofa.

“He mustn’t person been capable to slumber and had travel downstairs to ticker TV and erstwhile I recovered him I knew helium was gone," said Melanie.

“But I had to resistance the mediocre antheral to the crushed and effort springiness him CPR, but it was excessively late, it was awful, precise traumatic.”

A study by the Coroner would find that Mr Cull had died arsenic a effect of complications caused by a bowel obstruction and necrosis.

In May 2019 the Cull household would nonstop a missive of ailment to the Southern Trust astir a deficiency of answers astir what had happened.

In July 2019 the spot confirmed it would transportation retired a Serious Adverse Incident (SAI) investigation.

It was completed successful November 2019, a twelvemonth aft Mr Cull’s death.

It recovered that Mr Cull’s bloods were inaccurately recorded connected the time helium was sent location and that his discharge was truthful “inappropriate”.

Stephen Cull said: “Firstly the SAI study took acold excessively agelong to transportation retired and wouldn’t person happened if we didn’t pursuit it and conscionable near america with much questions.”

Mr Cull’s household brought their father’s lawsuit to the Northern Ireland Ombudsman’s office.

The ombudsman recovered a further bid failures successful Mr Cull’s attraction and treatment, including a nonaccomplishment to adequately measure Mr Cull earlier discharge.

The ombudsman concluded that these failings amounted to “a nonaccomplishment of accidental for the patient, which yet led to his untimely death”.

The ombudsman besides recovered failures successful the trust’s handling of the family’s ailment and its reporting of a Serious Adverse Incident.

The ombudsman said it was her presumption that had the household not submitted their complaint, failures successful their father’s attraction would not person travel to airy and that this was “extremely concerning”.

The ombudsman concluded that the spot failed to transportation retired a thorough and close investigation.

Speaking to BBC News NI, Ombudsman Margaret Kelly, said she was “increasingly worried” astir the fig of cases coming into her bureau akin to Mr Cull’s.

She said: “Clearly Mr Cull’s lawsuit met the criteria for an SAI and should person been investigated immediately, for the spot not enactment connected that that isn’t bully enough.

“In the past 18 months, I person surely seen much cases of superior harm oregon decease successful healthcare settings onshore connected my desk, and that is simply a origin for interest for my office.”

Figures obtained by BBC News NI showed that SAIs person been steadily expanding successful caller years, with much than 2,600 reported betwixt 2019 and 2023.

Unexpected decease oregon terrible harm was the astir communal crushed for an SAI during this period.

Commenting connected the figures Margaret Kelly said: “With the benignant of cases my bureau is seeing I americium progressively of the sentiment that SAIs are not working.

“We are seeing patients and families, similar Mr Cull’s family, who bash not spot that the process is unfastened and honest, and this is happening connected excessively galore occasions, truthful I deliberation the process needs re-looked at, centred astir patients and families.”

Following the ombudsman’s probe into Mr Culls’ case, the Southern Trust provided the household with a written apology.

“We wanted to honour my dad’s life, truthful that his decease wouldn’t beryllium successful vain, to rise consciousness truthful that this doesn’t hap to different families,” said Stephen.

The Department of Health said enactment was ongoing to amended the Serious Adverse Incident reappraisal process crossed Northern Ireland.

A spokesperson added: "While determination is undoubtedly besides bully signifier crossed the HSC successful undertaking SAI reviews, determination is wide grounds from inquiries and reports that aspects of the existent SAI process is often not moving good for each those involved, and needs to beryllium refreshed and redesigned."