Grieving Gosport man believes his brother was wrongfully discharged from QA Hospital twice in a year

‘Loving’ Don Wiles, from Gosport, was first admitted to QA Hospital in Cosham on April 26 last year with a hernia and swelling in his stomach.

He was treated in hospital until May 7 when he was sent home - but that day his carers, who only attended to him for an hour a day, said ‘he looked worse’ and just six days later they called for an ambulance to take him back.

During that stay - on June 5 - he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and given five rounds of chemotherapy before being discharged on July 23.

However, his younger brother Len said he quickly went ‘downhill’ and he was readmitted later that year.

During this stay he caught Covid, but ‘luckily’ survived.

While still in hospital, on December 13, he was told the lymphoma had come back.

‘This was when the situation got really bad,’ said Len, 70.

On February 10 staff at QA Hospital asked Len to come pick him up to go home saying ‘he was able to eat and had full mobility.’

Len told The News: ‘He was in absolutely no condition to come home.

‘I had been told he had full mobility but he was wheeled out by a nurse who just left him with me.

‘I was totally stunned and shocked. I didn’t recognise him.

‘When I got him home it took me an hour to get him the 10 yards from the car to the front door because he literally had no mobility and I had to carry him.’

Don also had a chest infection, cough, temperature, jaundice, was extremely weak and unable to eat.

‘I had no choice but to call an ambulance as soon as we got in,’ Len said.

‘The paramedics looked at him and said: “Why has he been sent home?”

‘They were disgusted. They said he never should have been sent home.’

Don was taken back to QA that day, where he stayed until March 8 when he was taken to a care home in Alverstoke.

He died in the care home on March 19 at the age of 72.

Len said: ‘It was so wrong that he had not one but two failed discharges.

‘It was during the pandemic and I know the staff were stretched and the beds were needed but it’s not right. I kept being told they needed the beds, which I understand if a patient is well enough to go home.

‘The paramedics told us they’re always taking patients straight back after discharges.’

Len was unable to see Don much in his last year as his wife Anne, 74, has lupus and is vulnerable to Covid.

He said: ‘If I could have been there every day I would have but I couldn’t because of Covid.’

In tribute to his brother, who worked for more than 30 years at the Royal Naval Armament Depot, he added: ‘Don was very loving, he loved everybody and wouldn’t hurt a fly. The staff at the nursing home who looked after him until he died said he was such a lovely man.

‘He lived with our mum for three years when she had dementia to look after her.’

Don’s funeral was held on April 21 and was attended ‘by many people.’

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, which runs QA Hospital, was approached for comment.