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HomeNewsMan, 86, dies after son said hospital was 'starving him to death'

Man, 86, dies after son said hospital was ‘starving him to death’

Stanley Hampson’s son lost a legal fight over having him tube-fed, which doctors said would have been unethical

An 86-year-old man claimed by his son to be “starving to death” in hospital has died.

It is understood that Stanley Hampson, who was in the advanced stages of dementia, died on Wednesday, a day after his son lost a legal fight over having him tube-fed.

Stan Hampson had complained that his father was starving because he had difficulty swallowing. He wanted staff at a Liverpool hospital to fit a feeding tube and criticised the care his father had received.

But doctors said fitting a feeding tube would be unethical because it would hurt and not benefit the pensioner – and bosses at the Aintree University hospitals NHS foundation trust asked a judge to make a ruling.

Mrs Justice Roberts ruled in favour of doctors after analysing the case at a public hearing in the court of protection – where issues relating to vulnerable people who lack the mental capacity to make decisions are considered – in London on Tuesday.

The judge said everyone involved could be identified. She said names were already in the public domain because Mr Hampson’s unhappiness over his father’s treatment had featured in a media report.

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Roberts heard that Stanley Hampson, a former warehouse manager, had been diagnosed with dementia in 2014. Doctors said his condition had deteriorated very recently and said they did not expect him to live to the end of the week.

The judge said the dispute arose in February, before the pensioner’s recent deterioration. She heard evidence from a specialist and from the son, who spoke by telephone from the hospital where his father was being treated.

“My father is effectively starving to death,” he told Roberts. “He has not eaten a morsel for six weeks. He cannot eat and the hospital has just overseen his starvation.”

Doctors said they had treated the pensioner in line with clinical guidelines. They said a feeding tube would have to be fitted under sedation. They said such a procedure would be risky and not fair to the pensioner. They said nothing could be done to improve his life expectancy.

Roberts heard that the pensioner had been hydrated via a drip and offered pureed food and she said she agreed with medics’ analysis. She refused to order staff to fit a feeding tube and said the focus had to be on ensuring that the pensioner ended his life in as much peace and comfort as possible.

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