'I will never get over dad's Covid lockdown death'

Bosses at Heartlands Hospital have accepted the level of care given to Vince Pettitt, who had dementia, fell far short of expected standards and contributed to his death

A woman says she will never get over the death of her father despite a hospital admitting failures in his care that led him to die during the first Covid lockdown.

Jane Roche lost her dad Vince Pettitt in April 2020, an experience that led her to become a campaigner in the West Midlands Covid Families for Justice group.

Ms Roche said: "No family should ever go through what we did. I want the truth about what happened to [Dad to] be recognised, so lessons are learned."

Birmingham's Heartlands Hospital has apologised and admitted liability after Mr Pettitt, who had difficulties swallowing and had dementia, drank an un-thickened cup of coffee that led him to develop fatal aspiration pneumonia.

Ms Roche, whose sister Jocelyn also died from Covid just five days after Mr Pettitt, said: "I blame the government and the NHS for my dad's death, for the lockdown that kept me away from him.

"I went into hospital with him every time because he needed my tender loving care that I gave him, [but then] I wasn't allowed in."

Mr Pettitt, an 86-year-old father of three and former car factory worker, was initially admitted to hospital with a cough, before he later tested positive for Covid.

Despite this, Ms Roche's lawyer said hospital records show he was offered little or no food and his fluids were not managed properly.

Ms Roche (far left) has been a prominent campaigner for families who lost relatives during the Covid lockdowns, and her tributes to her dad and sister feature in a film played at the start of the official public inquiry, which started in 2023

At the time, staff were aware of his difficulties in swallowing, which meant he should have only been given drinks that were specially thickened to aid this.

But, after drinking a standard cup of coffee that was left at his bedside, Mr Pettitt developed the aspiration pneumonia and died.

Ms Roche, from Castle Vale, Birmingham, had been allowed into hospital to see him in the hours before he died, and it was her who spotted the problem.

"They knew he was fed at risk, he'd been on the ward before and he was fed at risk – always had thickener in his drinks and bitesize mashable food," she said.

"I never ever expected to see my dad in that state. He had lost weight and he was gasping like a dog that had run 100 miles. It was horrific and it's something that will never ever leave me."

'Significant admission of liability'

Ms Roche's tributes to her father and sister were among those featured in a film played at the start of the national Covid inquiry in London, in 2023.

She stood outside the inquiry with their pictures, alongside other bereaved families, feeling it was much more important to be outside the doors than sitting inside.

At the time, she told BBC Midlands Today: "It's important to me to speak to other people that have gone through what myself and my family have gone through, because only people that have been through this horrific nightmare and continue to go through the nightmare understand how I feel."

Ms Roche's solicitor Lucie Boase, from Leigh Day, said that at the time Mr Pettitt was "extremely vulnerable".

"Vincent was entirely dependent on those entrusted with his care to look after him," she said.

"Instead of being protected there were issues around accessing food and drink, and he was left at risk of aspiration.

"It's very significant that the trust have made an admission of liability in respect of his death."

A memorial plaque, shown here with pictures of Ms Roche's father and sister, was set up in Castle Vale in tribute to local people who died with Covid during the lockdowns

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability in relation to the un-thickened cup of coffee being drunk by Mr Pettitt, leading him to develop the pneumonia that proved fatal.

"We are truly sorry for the distress and tragic loss of Ms Roche's much-loved father, Mr Vincent Pettitt, who died in our care at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic," a spokesperson said.

"Our thoughts and deepest condolences remain with Ms Roche and her family.

"The trust remains committed to learning and improving the care we provide to all our patients."