War hero 'neglected' in hospital

A jungle warfare expert who fought the Japanese in the Second World War was neglected by hospital staff after a hip replacement operation, an inquest has heard.

Charles Trollope, who had seen action in Burma, had his operation at the Countess of Chester Hospital in February 2001.

The 78-year-old, from Neston, Cheshire, developed a haemorrhage in his right thigh which had to be relieved with a deep incision.

His son, Peter, told the inquest that the wound, which was dressed with a pressure bandage, was allowed to seep through his father's bed and onto the floor.

Shortly afterwards the wound was found to be infected with the hospital "superbug", MRSA.

I saw these patches of what looked like blood in two or three patches near his bed Peter Trollope

Mr Trollope told Cheshire deputy coroner Dr Janet Napier: "On one occasion we lifted the bed covers back and found a large pool of red or orange liquid that had seeped down through the covers and onto the floor."

Following the MRSA diagnosis, Mr Trollope was moved to an isolation room.

No protective gear

But his son said he and his mother were disgusted to find the floor sticky with old blood and dust.

While he and his family had to wear surgical gloves and gowns, cleaners and nurses came and went without wearing protective gear, he said.

Mr Trollope said: "When I walked into the room my feet stuck to the floor.

"I bent down to look at the floor and I saw these patches of what looked like blood in two or three patches near his bed.

His father was transferred to another hospital and then sent home when his wound began to heal.

Face left smeared

But he was readmitted to the hospital shortly before Christmas 2001 when doctors became concerned his new hip was infected.

On the day of his operation in January 2002, Mr Trollope was given breakfast against doctors orders.

His son told the inquest: "He was smeared in corn flakes around his mouth and his tongue was covered in corn flakes.

"I couldn't understand what was going on because he was supposed to be nil-by-mouth, but also how he could have been left in that state?"

Mr Trollope died after failing to recover from the operation in February 2002.

Surgical complications

Hospital ward manager Christine Jones said Mr Trollope's thigh wound was deliberately stitched loosely to allow fluids to drain from it and was "surprised" at the dirty state of his isolation room.

Dr David Campbell, an orthopaedic consultant at the hospital, said the infection of Mr Trollope's artificial hip was not linked to the MRSA.

A pathologist had found that Mr Trollope died of septicaemia caused by an infected hip prosthesis, the inquest was told.

The coroner recorded a verdict of death due to complications arising from surgery.