Widow wants answers following husband’s tragic death

A Yorkshire woman has said she is determined to hold a hospital to account following her husband’s death three years ago.

Tony Cartwright, aged just 39, was left with severe brain damage after being rushed to hospital when he developed breathing difficulties due to a rare throat complaint. Medical staff at Harrogate Hospital decided to transfer him to specialist care in York but did so without diagnosing epiglottitis, a potentially dangerous condition which leads to the airway narrowing. Before transferring him to York, staff failed to ensure that his airway was secure and Mr Cartwright subsequently stopped breathing for four minutes, suffering the brain damage as a result. He died in hospital 33 days later.

Three doctors involved in caring for Mr Cartwright were investigated for gross negligence as was Harrogate Hospital for corporate manslaughter, however the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to proceed. The General Medical Council also decided against taking action against two of the doctors involved.

The hospital has admitted breaching its duty of care in attempting to move Mr Cartwright when he had breathing difficulties and Debra Cartwright received damages following his death, but she said that she and her family are still waiting to find out what happened in the critical moments before his collapse. She says that she and her son have been left “desolate” by her husband’s death and that there had been a series of failings in his care.

The hospital’s medical director Carl Gray offered profound condolences to the family and apologised for the failures that occurred in his care. He said: “The trust has implemented a number of actions, which have been reported to the coroner, and we must now await the outcome of the inquest.”