Linda Lockett, 70, was on a palliative care pathway and already prescribed morphine at home, but waited 25 hours for proper pain relief during her hospital stay

A distraught son has criticised a hospital after his terminally ill mother was forced to endure a "25-hour prescription delay" before her death.

Linda Lockett was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease - which makes breathing difficult - last June. The 70-year-old was put on a palliative care pathway and prescribed oral morphine for regular pain relief at home. However, the grandmother-of-two's condition suddenly worsened on February 7, requiring her admission to Royal Stoke University Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent

Her son Sean has revealed that, despite finding that his mum was suffering from a "massive" blockage almost double the size of her large intestine, she was left waiting more than a day for pain relief.

Sean, 42, told Stoke on Trent Live that during the hospital visit, which took place weeks before her death on February 21, hospital staff told him she was unlikely to live beyond a few days. He said: "We phoned the district nurses and a doctor from 111 came out later on. They said they could hear a blockage in her intestines. We phoned 999 and an ambulance showed up a few hours later.

"Then we went off to A&E. We waited outside in the ambulance for two hours before there was any room inside. At around 11pm we got in. She had blood tests and a scan done. At about 5am, she got shipped off to the surgical assessment unit.

"At around 9am, a surgeon came to have a look at her. He said the scan showed she had a 'massive' blockage that was almost double the size of her intestine. He said my mum was very lucky her bowel hadn't perforated. He said they would normally operate but he wasn't sure if my mother would survive the procedure, considering her underlying conditions."

Doctors informed Sean that his mum was unlikely to live beyond a few days, and discussions turned to ensuring Linda's comfort during her remaining time.

"The surgeon said they'd be back shortly to get medications sorted," the 46-year-old recalled. "At around 2pm, they came back and said they were getting on with it. We came back at 8pm that evening. I then asked about medication. My mum was in severe pain. She said it was the worst pain she'd ever experienced.

"The nurse had a look to see what was prescribed. She told me my mum could have paracetamol. I couldn't believe it. She has this massive blockage and lots of pain.

"She already takes oral morphine at home. The nurse told me the doctors hadn't prescribed anything. I told her we wanted to speak to a doctor. After she'd been at the hospital for around 25 hours she was finally prescribed some proper medication. All that time she'd only had paracetamol for pain relief."

Sean was left feeling 'appalled' by the prescription blunder. He said: "We were in a desperate situation. We couldn't get proper information from anyone. The care from the doctors and the surgeons wasn't good enough, in my opinion.

"Although the general nursing care was excellent, my mother lost trust in the hospital. When a doctor tells you he's going to sort out medicine for your dying mother - who was already on a palliative care pathway - you don't expect there to be any issues.

To then find out it hasn't been sorted 12 hours later, when she has the stuff at home anyway, is just ridiculous. It's a basic human right to be given some relief when you're in that much pain." Sean has lodged a complaint. He added: "The hospital should be more aware of their patients' needs.

"When they say they're going to do something, they should do it. I think they need more staff so they're not stretched so thinly and they can give more proper attention to each patient.

"And I think they should stop accepting so many patients who aren't from the local area. It seems like they're flying in patients from all over the place whilst the hospital is already struggling to deal with people who live around here. They should have more hospitals like this around the country. But I suppose that is just indicative of the sorry state the NHS is actually in."

Royal Stoke has acknowledged Sean's concerns. Chief Nurse Ann-Marie Riley stated: "We would like apologise for Mrs Lockett's experience during her stay at Royal Stoke.

"We take all concerns raised very seriously and have a robust process in place to investigate when raised. We are now working with the family regarding their complaint and we would encourage Mrs Lockett's family to contact the patient advice and liaison team if they need any further support."