THE family of a father-of-14 from Burnley who died at the Royal Blackburn Hospital have raised a series of questions about his care at an inquest.

Relatives of James Redmond were upset when they discovered the 87-year-old’s mouth caked in dried mucus, when they came to visit him on Ward B22, the Burnley hearing was told.

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And when concerns were raised regarding his condition with a specialist one of his sons, also called James, told East Lancashire Coroner’s Court the doctor was ‘patronising and unhelpful’.

Mr Redmond, of Eastern Avenue, had been admitted to the hospital with a broken hip, after a fall while walking his dog in November 2012.

The inquest heard that following surgery the Burnley man, previously described as being fit and active, and a full-time carer for his wife Irene, had become agitated and confused, also suffering hallucinations.

His family has raised concerns regarding the number of times diazepam was successfully administered, to counteract his anxiety-stricken state, efforts to administer food and fluids and the use of anti-psychotic drugs in his care.

And his son James Redmond also recalled frustrations over even finding a chair, on the ward, so his father would not remain bedridden.

The inquest heard that after a number of difficulties, the patient’s condition appeared to temporarily improve, but he develo- ped bronchial pneumonia and died on January 3.

Mr Redmond added: “We feel that they failed to care for my father on all levels – from care planning to record-keeping, diet and medication.”

He also said there appeared to be ‘failures of communication’ between staff, and a lack of consistent care, with several different staff nurses responsible for his father’s care following his admittance. The inquest heard that Mr Redmond also felt, when he met with consultant Dr Raymond Hyatt to discuss his father’s care, that he was ‘patronising and unhelpful’ and his attitude was ‘how dare you question my judgement’.

Junior sister Lynnette Parkinson, who was responsible for Mr Redmond’s care in early December, said his delirious condition may have prevented medication from being administered.

“If you have a patient who can sometimes not understand what you are trying to do then the last thing they want is someone poking about in their mouths,” she added.

The medic said that care notes were now taken on hourly rounds, to bring potential issues to light earlier, and an expanded multi-disciplinary meeting was staged each morning on the ward, as part of the patient ‘handover’ process.

And the hospital had also received additional funding, to use this winter, to help train nurses and healthcare assistants on the importance of oral hygiene for bed-bound patients, she added.

The inquest continues.