'Countess of Chester failed my brother in life and then they failed him in death'

His body was 'left to rot', says sister

- BY KELLY-ANN KIERNAN

A GRIEVING sister claims her brother's body was “left to rot” so badly she couldn't dress him for his funeral, after hospital failings led to his death.

Ann Mawdsley’s brother Wayne Lammond died at the Countess of Chester Hospital after neglect by medical professionals at the hospital contributed to his passing.

Wayne was just 36 when his brain was starved of oxygen following a cardiac arrest. An inquest into his death was told that medical staff failed to carry out a series of vital checks and actions that could have saved his life.

The inquest jury returned a conclusion of neglect in December last year.

Wayne's sister claims that as well as the horrific nature of his death, the hospital then failed to properly preserve his body, meaning he was “left to rot”.

He could not be dressed for his funeral, with his sister recalling the smell of his rotting body as something she can never forget.

Ms Mawdsley is now taking legal action against the trust for clinical negligence and for breaching her and her brother's human rights, through law firm Broudie Jackson Canter.

She said: "I feel like three years on and I still haven't had any justice.

"Nobody has taken responsibility for Wayne's death and nobody has apologised for what happened and the impact Wayne's death has had on my life.

"I still have nightmares and flashbacks and I'm terrified of hospitals. I've stopped going out of the house and my mental health has been seriously impacted.