AN INQUEST heard that a local man, described as a 'Del Boy character' by his widow, died from a brain haemorrhage after a GP and paramedics repeatedly dismissed his symptoms as depression.

Jayne Jones has paid tribute to her husband, Colin, and hit out at Worcestershire Royal Hospital for the way he was treated on the day of his death.

The father-of-three died aged 54 on Christmas Eve 2017, after a string of delays.

Mrs Jones, who works at Flowers of Worcester, said Colin was ‘big character’ who ‘loved his friends as much as he loved his family’.

She added: “Everyone knew him for his laugh. He was a little bit of a Del Boy character.

“He was a professional footballer, he played for West Bromwich Albion’s second team as a young man. He ended up becoming a flower seller. His parents were florists.”

Mr Jones died just weeks after going to his GP complaining of feeling unwell.

He was diagnosed with depression and prescribed with Diazepam, however he was taken to hospital on Christmas Eve.

Delays in his care meant a bleed on his brain was not treated for eight hours. A member of staff told his wife and daughter he would have to “wait his turn” because they were busy with other patients.

When he was finally transferred to a specialist neurology unit he was brain dead and his family switched off his life support machine.

On December 22, his wife Jayne, 55, noticed his face was drooping and dialled 999 and an ambulance was sent to their home in Bromsgrove.

Giving evidence at Worcestershire Coroner’s Court today, she said: “I had spotted a droop in his face and the ambulance was called. The paramedics came and monitored his blood pressure and it was high, I told them it shouldn’t be high. He was holding his head in pain, paramedics were asking him questions but he was really confused. They were happy with how he was and thought he had taken too many tablets [Diazepam] and he had a headache.

“The paramedic said he was happy that Colin didn’t need to be taken to the hospital to be checked over. We were told just to carry on with the tablets.

“They told us his face was drooped because of the diazepam.

“I got my daughters to stay with him as I had to go to work.

“The next day I had a word with him and asked him if there was anything wrong with him to tell me. He was mumbling and said ‘lots to say.’” 

The next morning,  she was so worried she dialled 999 again and her husband was taken on blue lights to Worcestershire Royal.

Mrs Jones said: “We were in the ambulance and the paramedic was looking after him and phoned for resus and I thanked them for listening to me. I remember the paramedic saying ‘where are the resus [resuscitation team]?’ But someone said ‘no, just put him over there’.

“Colin was barely conscious, he was grey and cold and wasn’t responding. 

“I thought he was going to die. A young man had come over in a pale blue outfit, he said ‘we are very busy’. He said we were in a queue and Colin had to wait his turn.

“Colin was sick a few times and then he stopped breathing. Gemma grabbed her dad and was shouting at him. I witnessed CPR beginning on him and we were ushered into another room.

 “We were waiting to find out what was going on. A consultant came in and said Colin was on oxygen, this was around 10am.

"They had found a 10cm bleed on his brain and I was just asking was he dead? Eventually, someone told us they’ve agreed to transfer him to Coventry [specialist neurology department at University Hospital Coventry].” 

Mr Jones was admitted at 5pm but was in a critical condition. The inquest continues.

Mrs Jones said: “Everything was moving so fast, a surgeon had told me it was critical and that’s when he decided to get rid of the pressure on his brain.

“But unfortunately it was a little bit too late.”

Mr Jones, who ran a successful florist business, died on Christmas Eve, 2017, after his family decided to turn off his life support machine.