A devastated nurse has told how her only daughter and her husband both died because of Tory NHS cuts.
Michelle Campbell-Cairns said: “First they robbed me of my only child. Now they have robbed me of my husband. The Tories killed them.”
Michelle’s story is one of unimaginable tragedy which sums up the government’s shocking disregard for the NHS.
Her husband Greg, a healthcare manager who used to work in the NHS, died on a trolley in a hospital A&E department two weeks ago.
Greg’s tragic death came nine years after Michelle’s daughter Nadejah died after being controversially refused life-saving cancer treatment on three occasions.
The Daily Mirror revealed the heart-breaking way Nadejah had been treated.
Michelle said that when Greg fell ill she called 999 but there were no ambulances available so she paid £18 to take Greg to hospital in a taxi.
When they arrived the hospital was so overwhelmed a “critical crisis” warning was issued over the tannoy before he could even be treated properly.
After spending eight hours in A&E Greg died without ever reaching a ward.
Michelle, a clinical nurse specialist who has worked for the NHS for 16 years, said Tory cuts were to blame for both deaths.
Speaking while cuddling a teddy bear which contains her daughter’s ashes,
Michelle said: “This has got to stop happening.
“It is now easier for an animal to get treated in a veterinary hospital than in an NHS Hospital because of this government.
“If someone had taken their dog to the vet with chest pain that dog would have got treatment.
“There is a crisis of such magnitude in the NHS because of the funding.
“What I saw in Basildon hospital that Monday was just appalling - it wouldn’t have been acceptable in a third world country.
“There was error after error after error. If an ambulance had turned up Greg would have been given a proper ‘survey’ they would have discovered the problem.”
The Mid and South Essex Trust have now promised Michelle a “full investigation” as part of a “serious investigation process to understand what happened.”
Michelle’s husband Greg, Director of Primary Care of Londonwide Local Medical Committees (the organisation which represents GPs) was just 63.
They married 20 years ago and after a ten year career in the NHS he moved to his new role in 2009.
He spent his entire career working for the NHS and in health care.
He died in Basildon University Hospital on Monday 20th March.
Michelle’s daughter Nadejah Williams, who starred in the Channel 4 TV reality show Shipwrecked died aged 23 in February 2014.
Her photo was used in Body Shop stores up and down the country as part of the Teenage Cancer Trust campaign.
She was three times denied treatment using CyberKnife which cost her her life.
The treatment is non-invasive and more direct than other forms of radiotherapy.
By the time it was finally approved it was too late - her tumours had grown too big.
Michelle explained the circumstances surrounding Greg’s death.
“He suffered chest pains during the night,” she said.
“But in the morning he was getting ready to go to work and he was very pale, clammy to touch and he had difficulty breathing.
“As a nurse I knew these symptoms were very concerning and I called 999.
“I gave all the information to the controller in a four minute conversation.
“I was told there were no ambulances available and that it would be at least a two hour wait.
“I couldn’t believe it.
“I immediately called a taxi and it arrived and took us to Basildon hospital.
“We arrived at A&E just before 10am. He died on a trolley in A&E at 6.15pm.
“When we arrived I briefed the nurse on his symptoms.
“We had to wait another two hours before being seen.
“He was sitting in a blue plastic chair for hours and then transferred to a dirty trolley.
“There was nowhere to triage him so we were taken into a side room where the roof was falling in.
“There was a large tarpaulin on the roof to prevent water from coming in.
"It was unbelievable.
“We were sitting there when a female voice came over the tannoy.
“She said: ‘we have had to declare a critical incident. We have no beds. We have a shortage of doctors. We have a shortage of nurses.’
“Greg nudged me and said ‘they are not supposed to do that’.
“He was always too professional. He didn’t want to make a fuss. He didn’t want me to make a fuss.
“There was one nurse whose behaviour and conduct appalled me but the others, a nurse, a doctor and a consultant all did their best under very stressful circumstances.”
Michelle added: “My husband died from a thoracic aortic aneurysm and might have died anyway.
“But they didn’t give him a chance. He had no chance to survive.
“If he had been assessed properly he could have been given emergency surgery.
“I fully briefed them that he’d had heart surgery as a youngster. They knew all the medical background.
“They know they are supposed to prioritise chest pains.”
Speaking on the sofa of their home in Billericay, Essex, which they bought only last year, Michelle said: “Upstairs his boxes and socks are still on the bed.
“He was ready to go to work that Monday morning. I just can’t bear to move them.”
A spokesperson for Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our condolences go out to the family of Mr Cairns at this difficult time. We’d encourage them to get in touch with the Trust so that we can discuss and look into their concerns.”
A spokesman for the NHS East of England Ambulance Service said: “We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to Mrs Cairns and her family, and apologise for the initial delay in sending an ambulance.
“We would encourage her to contact our patient liaison service so we can discuss this further and offer further support..”
An online condolences page set up by Londonwide LMCs showed the extraordinary regard Greg was shown by doctors.
Many paid fulsome praise.
Alex Lai said: “Greg was a kind and clever man whose wit and wealth of knowledge made him an integral part of our team.”
A spokesman for the Londonwide LMCs said: “Greg was a tenacious and hard-working colleague and always good humoured.
“His commitment to Londonwide LMCs general practice, GPs and practice staff will long be remembered and greatly missed.
“Many working in general practice across London will have known him for longer through his earlier NHS commissioning roles.”
Tessa Munt, former MP for Wells who worked with Michelle during her daughter’s illness, said: “This is beyond heart-breaking.
“It is devastating for Michelle to have lost her only daughter because she was refused cancer treatment.
“Now she has lost her husband as well.
“She feels the government is to blame for the way it funds the NHS and I can understand why.
“The Tories treat the NHS shamefully.
“It’s an absolute disgrace.
“Michelle and her husband spent their entire lives working in our health services to help others and this is what happens when they need to use health services themselves.
“The staff in our NHS are working so hard under such huge pressure.
“There will be families up and down the country who recognise Michelle’s appalling situation.
“It’s a snapshot of the NHS after 13 years of Tory government.
“This just can’t go on. The NHS must be funded properly so its wonderful staff can give the British people the care they deserve.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our sympathies are with Mrs Cairns and her family. No one should be waiting longer than necessary for emergency care and we have set out a plan to urgently reduce waiting times for patients.
"This is backed by up to £14.1 billion for health and social care over the next two years, on top of record funding to improve services.
“As part of this the NHS is increasing capacity with 5,000 more hospital beds and 800 new ambulances, on top of £750 million this winter to speed up hospital discharge and free up beds.”
