A GRIEVING family has told how staff at a Glasgow hospital "robbed them of the chance to say goodbye" to their dying dad.

Heart patient Alexander Deighan died without any family members at his bedside after doctors gave him a "do not resuscitate" order without his relatives' permission, the family say.

His daughter Julie Deighan, 40, claims staff at Glasgow Royal Infirmary did not help the 78-year-old after medics took the decision that he should not be revived if his breathing or heart failed.

Julie said the decision was never discussed with her or her mother Emma, 68, and they were never made aware how serious Alexander's condition was.

Medical guidelines insist "do not resuscitate" orders are issued only following discussion with patients or family.

Alexander's family found the order on his medical files – two months after his death – following their complaints about the "appalling and disgraceful" care they claimed he received.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has now apologised to the family.

Julie, of Craigend in Glasgow's East End, said: "We will never get the chance to say goodbye to my dad.

"We could have been there with him at the end, but these doctors and nurses took that from us.

"My dad had to die alone because of their actions.

"My mum has been left utterly devastated because she never got the chance to say goodbye."

Alexander was injured in the explosion at Clarkston Toll in October 1971, when he was working as an electrician.

Julie said: "My dad had been through a lot in his life, but he had survived a lot too.

"The Clarkston disaster left him with a badly injured leg, so he had spent his life going in and out of hospital.

"But he had never received such awful treatment, like he did in the last few days and weeks of his life.

"It was without a doubt, the worst experience he had ever had."

Alexander was admitted to the Royal in October 2010, suffering from heart problems.

But his family was unhappy with the care he received in his final days, accusing staff of having a poor attitude and leaving them "in the dark".

Julie, a clerical worker, continued: "We were never told how seriously ill my dad was.

"I would phone the ward several times a day, only to be told to stop phoning and that there was nothing to tell me.

"Dad had been in the hospital for nearly two months and his condition was getting worse, but no-one was telling us anything."

Julie said a nurse at the hospital called her on Sunday, December 12, 2010, to say her dad was being moved into a new room.

She said: "I was told my dad was being moved, at about 8.45am that day.

"And the nurse asked if I wanted to come to see him.There was no mention of how unwell he was - but by the time my mum and I got there, within an hour of the call, my dad had died.

"We knew he was ill, but we never expected him to be dead."

Julie said the way her dad died has left her family, including her 18-year-old son Scott, struggling to cope with their loss.

"Even though dad passed away a year ago, we are all still finding it very hard to deal with.

"I remember every detail of everything that happened in his last few days - they will stay with me forever. I was so angry, and I still am.

"My family has been left devastated - if only the nurses had told us he was going to die, we could have been more prepared.

"It would have taken away the element of shock and we would have been able to say goodbye," Julie said.

Emma and Julie were so angry they lodged an official complaint with the hospital about his care. A spokeswoman for Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board, said: "We have met with the family on two occasions to discuss their concerns.

"A full written apology has also been made to them.

"As a result of this case, we have taken the opportunity to remind our staff of the absolute importance of good communication with patients and their families to explain why a 'do not resuscitate' status is placed on a patient."

Last month, the Evening Times revealed how another man had been left to die in the same hospital after doctors gave him a "do not resuscitate" order in another case in which the family was not consulted.

Julie added: "After reading that story in the Evening Times it brought all the awful feelings back - I couldn't believe this could have happened to someone else and their family.

"We want to make sure no-one else has to go through what we experienced."

rebecca.gray@heraldandtimes.co.uk

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