Inquest: family vows action
Date published: 24 July 2009
THE family of an 88-year-old man who died at the Royal Oldham Hospital has vowed to take legal action, alleging a lack of care.
Frederick Burrows, of Fairway Road, Oldham, spent years working as a coal miner, an inquest heard.
His son Ian said his father, who grew up in Chesterfield in a coal mining family, was admitted to hospital in April, 2008, following pain behind his eyes.
He also suffered from shingles around the waist for which he was prescribed painkillers.
Mr Burrows said: “He was in so much pain and could hardly get out of his chair. He was passed from one doctor to the next.
“He was being shuffled from one bed to the other and had extensive bedsores.”
Mr Burrows died on September 13, 2008.
A post-mortem examination found Mr Burrows died from broncho-pneumonia and a pulmonary artery embolism, pulmonary fibrosis and exposure to silica dust while working as a coal miner.
Coroner Simon Nelson told Ian Burrows that bedsores were not a contributory factor.
He added: “I will be happy to give you the post mortem report which you can take to your doctor who would help you understand the findings.”
Mr Nelson gave a verdict of death by industrial disease.
