Apology for dead patient's letter

Stephen Evans was awaiting heart surgey when he died

A hospital has apologised after it sent out an appointment to a man who died 12 years ago.

Stephen Evans was 34 when he died in August 1993 after suffering a number of heart attacks, the last at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

But this month his family in Dolgellau received an appointment to see a hospital heart specialist in August.

The hospital has apologised saying the letter was sent because of a fault in the computer system.

Mr Evans died in the hospital after suffering his fourth heart attack. He was due to have surgery two weeks later.

The appointment letter was sent to an address in Dolgellau where Mr Evans' sister Belinda, 40, now lives with her family.

Mistakes should not happen in this day and age Sister Susan Jones

She had tried to keep the letter from Mr Evans' mother, Megan, 72, because she is not in the best of health, but her daughter let it slip.

"It will be 12 years next month since Stephen died. He was only 34 and this brings it all back. It is very upsetting," Mrs Evans said.

Generated in error

His sister, Dolgellau town councillor Susan Jones, 49, said the family was angry.

"Mistakes should not happen in this day and age. Stephen was only 28 when he had the first of his four heart attacks.

"His fourth and fatal heart attack actually occurred at the Maelor hospital in Wrexham where he died on 5 August 1993 aged just 34".

Andy Scotson, Wrexham Maelor's spokesman, said the chief executive had sent a letter on Tuesday, offering the hospital's apologies to the family about the mistake.

He said the letter had been generated in error by the hospital computer system which had held two addresses for the late Mr Evans on file.

Until the cause of the error is identified by the hospital's IT consultants, appointments for patients were being sent out manually, added Mr Scotson.