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A brother and sister are determined to uncover the truth behind their father’s death, which they believe was caused by medical errors during his hospital stay. Bill Trotter, aged 73, from Carlisle, Cumbria, was admitted to Cumberland Infirmary in May 2024 but passed away two months later after entering a diabetic coma. His children, Mike and Kelly Trotter, say their father’s repeated misdiagnoses contributed to his death and are keeping his body at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary mortuary, hoping it can provide further evidence. However, the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust has concluded a review and stated that no care failures contributed to his passing.
Bill Trotter’s treatment journey started on 8 May when he was admitted with a toe infection. He underwent angioplasty to improve blood flow and was initially discharged with antibiotics. When he was readmitted later in May, he was diagnosed with gangrene, leading to a below-the-knee amputation on 2 June. By 28 June, the family was informed that Bill had developed Fournier’s gangrene and that medical options were exhausted. The family also discovered a sizeable abscess had formed on his bottom during this period. Posthumously, a doctor allegedly told them the leg amputation might have been unnecessary.
Mike and Kelly raise serious concerns about the care Bill received, including a 16-day delay in addressing a bladder issue that led to nearly a litre of urine retention before a catheter was inserted. Mike described the situation as “horrendous,” recounting how their father was in agonizing pain. The siblings also argue that inadequate treatment of the initial toe infection triggered the leg amputation and say they had to buy their own wound care gel because the hospital ran out. They claim that when Bill went into a diabetic coma, his blood sugar was inaccurately recorded at 2.3 mmol/l instead of 1.2 mmol/l, and this low level was not reported promptly to the National Diabetes Inpatient Safety Audit (NDISA) as required. Moreover, he was given insulin by a different doctor after the hospital’s diabetes team had withdrawn it. The NHS Trust declined to comment specifically on these accusations but reiterated that its investigation found no care deficiencies linked to Mr. Trotter’s death.
The family is seeking an inquest into Bill’s death. However, Cumbria’s senior coroner, Kirsty Gomersal, has stated that the circumstances do not meet the legal criteria for an inquest under the Coroners and Justice Act, which applies to deaths that are violent, unnatural, or of unknown causes. Mike Trotter expressed frustration, questioning how the described failures could be considered natural causes. He said, “Everyone makes mistakes, but you have to put your hands up and they’ve tried to hide those mistakes.” Meanwhile, Carlisle Labour MP Julie Minns has offered support to the family and highlighted forthcoming legislation, sometimes referred to as the Hillsborough Law, which aims to improve transparency and accountability following deaths in institutional care. She said this new law would help families like the Trotters “get the answers they’re looking for” by enforcing a duty of candor among healthcare providers.
After Bill’s death, his body was moved to the RVI mortuary in Newcastle at the family’s expense within nine days, and Mike and Kelly say they will not remove it from the facility until their questions are answered, even if it takes years. Mike emphasized that their motivation is not financial but to establish the correct cause of death. Kelly said, “He was failed, a hundred percent he was failed, and I think he’d be proud of us for what we’re doing. Mum says he would be anyhow and that’s nice for us to hear.” The North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust acknowledged the family’s concerns, stating that it had conducted a thorough complaint investigation and shared the results with the family. It concluded that no failings in care contributed to Bill’s death and advised the family to escalate any further concerns to the public health ombudsman. Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the Royall Victoria Infirmary, declined to comment, citing the sensitive nature of mortuary care
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