Man with Down syndrome dies after hospital 'left him without food for 10 days'

A man with Down syndrome died in hospital after going for 10 days without food, an inquest has heard.

Giuseppe Ulleri, also known as Joe, died after confusion over his feeding tube left him starving for 10 days at Manchester Royal Infirmary three years ago.

In March 2016 he fell ill but died from pneumonia after struggling to ingest food through a tube.

Ulleri's family told the inquest that they believe he went for 10 days without being fed whilst in the care of the hospital, and said they raised concerns about a lack of nutrition days before.

The family said he was denied food due to miscommunication between staff, confirming Ulleri had difficulty talking and couldn't take care of himself.

A jury at court was told Ulleri was initially found in a pool of blood on the floor of his bedroom on February 26, 2016, after suffering a fall.

He was taken to hospital and had an x-ray but doctors found no fractures and sent him home.

However, the next day his condition worsened and was taken back to hospital, where he had developed difficulty swallowing.

It was soon found he had suffered a broken wrist and hip.

On March 9, a nasogastric tube was inserted but it only stayed in place for a day as Ulleri struggled to use it and felt uncomfortable.

Coroner Davies said: "Joe had long periods of time when he had no nutritional support when he stayed in hospital, and for a long period the only nutrition he had was that 24 hours when the tube was in place."

On March 20 Joe died while medics at the hospital were debating the best way to feed him.

Ulleri's brother Peter told the inquest he had phoned into a "best interest" meeting at the hospital on March 16 where it was agreed that a tube would be inserted into his stomach.

He stated he believed his brother's condition was deteriorating due to a lack of nutrition.

The inquest is expected to last until the end of this week.