Devastated family criticise Royal Stoke after death of Susan, 65

A grieving family are still struggling to come to terms with the loss of their loved one at Stoke-on-Trent’s main hospital. Susan Twigg, from Tunstall, died of “heart and kidney failure” at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in May 2023.

Susan, 65, had been given up to three months to live when she was admitted to Ward 121. But her relatives say Susan suffered falls on the ward – despite requests for the bed rails to be raised – and broke her head falling into the toilet. She died three days later.

Today, her husband Leonard and daughter Andrea believe Susan should not have died so early.

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Andrea, 26, said: “The NHS killed my mum. She went into the Royal Stoke with kidney failure – which we knew about anyway – and my dad told them never to leave the bed rails down. She had a few falls out of bed and one day a nurse took her to the toilet, left her alone, and she fell off the toilet and hit her head. Her head was cracked and there were really bad bruises.”

“She died three days later, even though the doctors had given her two to three months. Mum couldn’t walk on her own and my dad made that very clear. I had a feeling something was wrong the day she died – May 16, 2023 – and at 11:55 that night the hospital called us to tell us she had passed away.

“She was in such a state that I couldn’t recognize her in the monastery chapel. Her face was blacker than black, I couldn’t even recognize that it was my mother. We couldn’t put her own clothes on because she was covered in blisters and had deteriorated, and the makeup didn’t cover anything.

“I didn’t mean to do this, but people need to know. As soon as my mother died, I became an alcoholic and drank every day. I’ve stopped drinking alcohol now, but my mental health is terrible, I tried to kill myself.

“We can’t cope and we’re not getting the help we need. I was referred to Dove, but it’s not just me, it’s my dad, they were married for 37 years, so it’s really hard.

“Mum loved going out with my dad and I, she loved getting her nails done, and she loved going to Wales, Blackpool and travelling. She was a caring person who helped everyone. My dad and I don’t really leave the house because we don’t want to go out now that she’s gone.”

Leonard, 74, added: “That hospital killed my wife. Nobody listened to us and nobody cared. We couldn’t have an open casket because Susan looked so bad.”

Ann-Marie Riley, Chief Nursing Officer at Royal Stoke, said: “We extend our sincere condolences to Susan Twigg’s family and strongly encourage them to contact us directly to discuss any concerns they may have that have not been raised previously. We investigate all incidents and review our practices and procedures where necessary to improve the way we provide care.”

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