‘Amazing father’ Gareth Idris Johnson, 41, died as a result of inadequate care at University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where a coroner believes further deaths could happen if not addressed
An “amazing father” died after Wales’ largest hospital failed to provide adequate care, an inquest has found.
Gareth Idris Johnson, 41, had to be moved to a different unit after an operation due to maintenance issued at the dilapidated University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff.
At an inquest into his death at South Wales central coroner’s court, his wife Chelsea remembered him as a “truly incredible man, [and] an amazing father”. She added: “He is survived by three young children – Drystan Emrys, aged four, Eirianwen Beryl, aged two, and Ieuan Lee Reginald, aged six months.
“Gareth could make anyone smile. His death was very sudden and unfortunate. He was taken too young at just 41. The world will forever be a darker place without him. He was the love of my life.
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“He loved football – proper and American. He was a proudly patriotic Welshman. He was a soul taken too soon and the hole in our lives will be there forever.”
Coroner Kerrie Burge raised concerns of the risk of further fatalities in a scathing report to Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. The official said changes need to be made to mitigate further risk to patients.
Plans have been drawn up to build a replacement hospital, but they’ve stalled. Whistleblowers have been making complaints about the substandard conditions at the Heath hospital.
Mr Johnson, from Risca, attended Cwmbran’s Grange hospital on October 12 last year and was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in his lungs) and an acute heart strain.
Because it was the weekend he was transferred to the University Hospital of Wales for catheter-directed thrombolysis (the delivery of clot-busting medicine).
Ms Burge said: “Following the procedure, Gareth was one of a small number of patients transferred out of the critical care unit to post-anaesthetic care unit due to planned building maintenance works.
“Gareth’s post-operative medication management was sub-optimal for a number of reasons, including the impact of being cared for outside the main critical care unit.”
After his operation, the problems with Mr Johnson’s medication came about because of a “lack of clarity” about how much heparin – a drug for reducing the blood’s ability to clot – should be given, said the coroner, reports Wales Online.
Mr Johnson died in the hospital on October 16 from complications following the procedure. The coroner said his medical cause of death was cardiac arrest with a secondary cause of pulmonary embolism.
Ms Burge concluded it was “more likely than not” he would have survived had his medication been delivered “appropriately”.
“In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken,” she said. “Due to the age of the hospital building, maintenance is a constant battle. There are also capacity issues in critical care due to patient volumes.”
Ms Burge said the hospital’s building infrastructure scored at the highest level on the corporate risk register. Although she noted the hospital had put measures in place to “safeguard against moving patients who require critical care”, she was still concerned that “these systems would fail during times of pressure”.
The health board’s chief executive Suzanne Rankin must respond to the coroner’s ‘prevention of future deaths’ report within 56 days. Ms Burge told her: “Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out the timetable for action.”
In recent months the Welsh Government has been carrying out a ” targeted intervention ” into the beleaguered health board over “serious concerns relating to governance, culture, quality and safety and operational pressures”.
A recent report on the culture of University Hospital of Wales’ operating theatres found — on top of illicit drug use, racism, and staff sabotaging each other — that facilities were seriously inadequate, from chronic leaks and damp to poor lighting that made operations challenging.
A spokesman for the health board said: “We offer our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Gareth Johnson following their tragic loss. This remains an incredibly difficult time, and our thoughts are very much with all those affected.
“The health board is deeply committed to openness, transparency, and continuous learning. We continue to implement the recommendations and learning identified through the review process, and remain focused on making meaningful improvements.
“We would welcome the opportunity to meet with Gareth’s family once all proceedings have concluded, to share the actions we have taken in response to the investigation and the findings of the inquest.”