Daughter's anger at cuts as dad denied end-of-life care

Board branded 'callous' and 'cruel' over £306m savings plan

- Sentinel Reporter

A CONCERNED daughter has accused health officials of being 'callous' and 'cruel' over spending cuts after her father was denied end-of-life care.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) plans to make £306 million of savings from services this year, to meet nationally-set government targets.

But Kathlyn Gadd is worried the cuts will have a profound impact on patient welfare. Her 86-year-old father, Geoffrey Foddy, was recently denied end-of-life care - shortly before the cuts were announced.

She said: "My dad was admitted to the vascular ward at the Royal Stoke University Hospital with a clot that was cutting off the blood supply to his leg. They couldn’t operate or offer an amputation because he’s frail and old.

"Essentially, it was a case where they couldn't do anything for him. So they said they'd send him home with end-of-life palliative care. His discharge letter said he had weeks to live."