PROBLEMS at Worcestershire Royal Hospital have been putting patient’s lives at risk ever since it opened, according to the grieving sister of a Rubery man who died there 10 years ago.

Debra Nickless, 56, told the Advertiser she was unsurprised to hear that patients had died waiting on trolleys at the county hospital over Christmas, after experiencing the hospital’s ‘negligence’ first hand in 2007, when her younger brother Andrew Jones died following keyhole surgery.

According to Debra, who works as a hairdresser in Rubery, Andrew went in for a 'straightforward' operation to tighten his oesophagus, but was dismissed and even teased by nurses when he woke up from surgery in agony.

Debra said: “Basically they weren’t very nice towards him and the nursing staff were quite abrasive. He was in agony and they said to us ‘does he always moan like this?’ and I said ‘no, he’s very humble, he’s not a complainer.’

“I asked if we could see a doctor to try and manage his pain but the nurse was quite rude and put her hand up to my face and said ‘I’m busy’, but he was very poorly. At one point he had his finger on the button for ages. They said they had lots of patients but there weren’t many – most of the patients had gone home.”

Debra described her 42-year-old brother “practically levitating from the bed in pain”, but said he was still left waiting for a high-dependency bed, while doctors dismissed his illness as a cold, chest infection or constipation.

“In retrospect I wish he had got up and tried to walk,” said Debra. “If he had walked through reception and collapsed maybe then someone would have helped him.”

Three days after he arrived at Worcestershire Royal, Andrew suffered a heart attack and died from what was later identified as septicaemia.

His family took legal action against Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, and received £3,000 in compensation, but Debra said the trust refused to apologise for her brother’s death.

She also said the current downfalls at Worcestershire Royal go well beyond being understaffed and not having enough beds.

“The mind-set of the nurses there was just unnecessary," said Debra. "Is it because they’re understaffed or overworked or is it because they just won’t listen to what patients are saying?

“I know they are very busy, and it’s not just Worcester. I just think they’re not nursing for nursing’s sake – they’re nursing for the wrong reasons. It’s all about work ethos and training. The doctors and what they can do is fantastic, but I do think they cover things up.”

Because of the unanswered questions surrounding her brother’s death, Debra and her family now travel to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham rather than visiting Worcestershire Royal.

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We would like to extend our sympathies to Debra and her family, however it is difficult for us to discuss the personal aspects of care and subsequent settlement reached with the trust.

“Our workforce is highly skilled and trained and on daily basis they work to deliver the best care possible.

“On the wider issues raised we acknowledge that both of our A&E depts and our hospitals experienced an extremely busy Christmas and New Year period and these pressure are continuing. We have robust plans to deal with such demand and partners across the NHS have supported us in ensuring that patient safety and emergency care maintained.”