THE family of a young dad who died just hours after an ambulance crew ‘refused’ to take him to hospital are calling for answers.

Weymouth construction worker Neil Johnston, 39, died on New Year’s Eve after being admitted into Dorset County Hospital 12 hours after South Western Ambulance Service initially attended.

The family have been told by a coroner that father-of-two Neil, of Wyke Regis, died of pneumonia and say ‘questions lie with the ambulance service and the initial diagnosis’.

They say Neil was ‘as strong as an ox’ before his right foot swelled up just before Christmas.

A duty doctor diagnosed Neil with gout – a common type of arthritis – and he was prescribed medication and pain relief but he reacted badly to the treatment and his condition deteriorated over the week.

His family rallied around him, delivering him food while his partner Shelagh Weir cared for him.

At 7am on New Year’s Eve, Shelagh called for ambulance assistance.

She said: “He was very poorly, he had sickness and diarrhoea.

“The ambulance turned up but they wouldn’t take him in, in case he was infectious.

“They said to put an ice pack on his foot and gave me an out-of-hours hospital number.

“I called it and the doctor said stop taking the gout medication as it’s upsetting his stomach, he prescribed a lot of fluids.

“I picked up the new medication but Neil couldn’t keep the fluids down.

“At about 7pm I called his parents and they called the ambulance again.”

In tears, Neil’s father requested an ambulance to take his son to hospital and he was admitted shortly afterwards.

Dad Frank, 73, said: “We were relieved he was in hospital, getting the care he needed.

“But at 11.15pm I got a phone call from the sister in A&E, she said can you come up as soon as possible, he’s very poorly.

“I said I couldn’t because I’ve got heart problems and my wife has got emphysema. I called my son David and he was rushing out the door when he called the hospital to check what ward Neil was in.

“They said: ‘I’m terribly sorry, Neil has died.’”

He added: “It’s traumatic.

“We’re going through a hell of a grieving process.

“We’re not attention seekers, we just don’t want it to happen to anyone else.

“If they had taken him in earlier they would have had 12 hours to do all the tests they could and he may be alive today.

“The coroner has now told us that he died of pneumonia – the questions lie with the ambulance service and initial diagnosis.”

Neil’s brother David, aged 44, of Preston, said: “We want answers for Neil. He was neglected and wasn’t dealt with in a very professional manner.

“Neil’s death might have been prevented if he had been taken to hospital earlier.

“At the very least, it would have given all of us the chance to see him in the last hours that he had.”

Mum Anne Johnston, 72, said: “I can’t sleep or eat properly.

“If he had gone in at 7am and they’d said: ‘He’s not going to last the day’ then we would’ve been by his side until the end.

“That’s what I feel so guilty about, that I wasn’t with him.

“It’s the hardest thing of all to know he was by himself.”

Partner 'was not informed'

The family are also upset that the nurse who called to inform Neil’s parents of his death, failed to also inform his partner, as promised.

Dad Frank said: “I asked them to tell Neil’s partner and gave them Shelagh’s name and contact details but Shelagh didn’t know until my wife Anne called her the following morning.

“I’m the next of kin but I asked if they could tell the partner and she promised she would do.” Mum Anne said: “I called Shelagh in the morning and she asked how Neil was.

“I said ‘You haven’t heard then’ and she hadn’t. She was just about to go and visit him and had arranged for a friend to give her a lift.”

Shelagh said: “When Anne phoned me in the morning I couldn’t believe it.

“I thought I would be seeing Neil in a couple of hours.

“I’m still in shock.”

A spokesman for Dorset County Hospital said: "The nurse and a paramedic phoned the number they were given but it would not accept withheld numbers – they did manage to get through with the help of our switchboard but there was no answer so the paramedic left a message on the answer phone.

"It was felt it was more appropriate for the paramedic to leave the message as he had dealt with Ms Weir at the scene so was already known to her.

"The nurse’s name and number was left on the answer phone message so Ms Weir could speak to her directly.

Emergency service sends condolences to the family

A South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust spokesman said: “The trust wishes to pass on its condolences to Mr Johnston’s family at this difficult time and will of course look into the patient’s treatment whilst in its care.”

A spokesman for Dorset County Hospital said: “Although we do discourage people from visiting the hospital with diarrhoea and vomiting to avoid spreading infection to other patients, we have a fully staffed 24-hour emergency department and would always admit a person who requires emergency treatment.

“There are complexities surrounding this case, but we cannot go into detail without breaching patient confidentiality.

“We would like to pass on our condolences to the family at this distressing time.”