The family of Bill Trotter has escalated its fight for answers to two national bodies, with both the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) and the office of the Attorney General opening formal investigations into his death.
Bill Trotter, 73, died at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle in July 2024. His children, Mike and Kelly, have repeatedly questioned his care and are now hoping the new probes will lead to a full inquest.
The investigation comes two years after the Washington-born man's death, with his body still being held in cold storage at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. The family believes a further post-mortem may be needed.
Concerns over misdiagnosis and amputation
Mike and Kelly allege their father was misdiagnosed several times and underwent a leg amputation they believe may not have been necessary. They have previously raised concerns about his care at the Carlisle hospital.
Bill, who was born and brought up on Wearside but lived much of his adult life in Cumbria, died after slipping into a diabetic coma. His medical records show his blood sugar fell to 1.2, a severe hypo, after he was given significant medication. That reading was initially not reported to the national records service that tracks severe diabetes harm events, having first been documented as 2.4.
Post-mortem report questioned
ChronicleLive previously reported how the family's own review of the records showed the lower reading. By that time, NHS bosses had also accepted that Bill did not have an abscess on his backside when he was last admitted.
However, that abscess claim was repeated in a post-mortem report, a document Mike and Kelly question. They say the decision not to hold a full inquest based on that report should be re-evaluated.
The family has also described Bill's final days as feeling like 'torture'. They say he was left about 16 days between a bladder issue being noted and a catheter being fitted, and that he was found to have retained almost a litre of urine.
Family speaks out
Mike Trotter told ChronicleLive: "We have had to escalate every aspect of this case as far as we possibly can because, at every stage, we kept coming up against red tape and brick walls. If it hadn’t been for the support of my MP and others who were prepared to listen, I genuinely believe these concerns would have been brushed under the carpet."
"Families should not have to fight this hard just to have their concerns properly considered. It’s not right, and it’s not fair."
Trust statement
In a statement, a spokesperson for the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust, which runs the Carlisle hospital, said: "The Trust has previously conducted a detailed complaint investigation to which we have responded in full and shared the outcome with the family."
"In line with the NHS Complaints Process, the Trust advised the family to refer to the PHSO following the completion of our complaint investigation and we are pleased that they will now help all parties to address any outstanding concerns."
"We are truly sorry we have not been able to resolve their concerns and we are responding to any requests made by the PHSO and Attorney General’s office for information in a timely and open way to ensure that resolution can happen as quickly as possible in recognition of how difficult this process can be."
"It is important the PHSO is allowed to proceed with their review independently and it would be inappropriate for us to make further comment at this time. We look forward to receiving the PHSOs conclusions once the review has been finalised."
