“WE will carry this with us forever,” said the distraught family of a Rowley Regis great-grandfather whose death was adjudged to have been contributed to by neglect at Sandwell Hospital.

Frank Hayward, aged 83, died on December 10 last year following a month-long stay at the hospital after he suffered a serious head injury in a fall at his home on November 12.

During an inquest at Black Country Coroners Court, senior coroner Zafar Siddique – who gave a conclusion of accidental death, contributed to by neglect – said Mr Hayward and his family endured a “catalogue of issues” throughout his stay.

Following his death, Mr Hayward’s family raised serious complaints about the care he received at hospital prompting Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS trust to carry out a “very detailed” serious incident investigation.

As well as finding failings with Mr Hayward’s care, the investigation confirmed the root cause as being a failure to correctly assess his injuries when he was first taken to the emergency department.

The court heard Mr Hayward, a retired sheet metal worker, was rushed to A&E where he was given a CT head scan which showed a slight bleed on his brain, however this was not picked up by staff.

The bleed eventually became severe and was identified as the cause of his death.

Mr Hayward also complained of neck pain, but a scan was not carried out to find the cause of the problem – which turned out to be a fractured bone at the top of his spine.

Dr Sachin Vasishta, a consultant stroke physician who led the investigation, told the court that the bleed on the initial CT scan would have taken an experienced consultant to pick up.

During the inquest, Mr Siddique said it was a “missed opportunity” by hospital staff to not identify the fracture in Mr Hayward’s spine earlier, adding it would have been a “significant factor” in giving the patient the right course of treatment.

In a statement, Mr Hayward’s family said: “Frank was a much loved husband, dad, granddad, great grandad, uncle and friend.

“He suffered some ill health through his later years, but always dealt with it with determination of spirit.

“He would always approach whatever was thrown at him head on – rarely complaining.

“Frank wasn’t given a choice on which hospital he was taken to after his fall.

“He didn’t know that the choices that were made for him – to take him to a hospital where no members of staff could read a CT scan in full – would ultimately lead to his untimely passing.”

The family have implored Sandwell Hospital staff to listen to families when they raise concerns about their loved ones.

Directing their attentions towards the hospital, the family’s statement continued: “We appreciate that is it difficult to hold up your hands and say ‘yes, we were wrong’, however, sometimes it is necessary and the only course of action.

“In your hearts you all know that there were major failings that could so easily have been avoided and you have the live with that, always questioning ‘could I have done more?’

“There are procedures in place in most major organisations to report failings and mistake. In most organisations lives are not at risk.

“As a family we implore you to listen to the patients families when they have concerns as they are the ones who normally know the patient best.

“If you had listened, dad would have been spared the torturous end to his life that he endured, and we would be able to sleep at night and move forward.

“As it is, we will carry this with us forever.”

During the inquest, the court also heard that on November 19 Mr Hayward’s condition deteriorated significantly and an urgent CT head scan was ordered.

However the results of this scan were not obtained until three-days later – a failing which could not be explained during Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust’s internal investigation.

The second head scan revealed the bleed on Mr Hayward’s brain had become severe, while the fracture in his spine was finally exposed, leading to staff trying to find a neck brace for the patient.

No neck suitable brace could be found – which the investigation put down to the department being in the middle of a relocation from City Hospital and contact numbers for the department being incorrect – Mr Hayward’s family had to scour the internet and buy their own brace, which senior Black Country coroner Zafar Siddique said was “totally unsatisfactory”.

Following a fall out of his hospital bed and being hit by norovirus, which spread through the ward, Mr Hayward’s health deteriorated further, before he passed away on December 10.

After giving his conclusion, Mr Siddique said: “Looking at all the circumstances, I am satisfied that had there been earlier intervention he may not have died when he did.

“On the evidence available, the failures and delays to diagnose the fracture and the bleed did more than negligibly contribute to the death.”

Elaine Newell, chief nurse at the trust, said: “We are very sorry for the death of Frank Hayward and would like to offer our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.

“We recognise that we missed opportunities to make Frank more comfortable whilst he was in hospital, and should have identified the extent of his injury whilst he was in our emergency department.

“We are adding to the documentation for the management of head injuries to ensure all necessary tests are done as a matter of urgency, and are sharing the learning from his experience with colleagues across the trust.”