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<\/p>\nLinda Lockett has passed away<\/p>\n
16:05, 24 Feb 2026Updated 05:47, 18 Mar 2026<\/p>\n
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Linda Lockett was left without strong pain relief for around 25 hours(Image: Sean Lockett)<\/p>\n
A concerned son has slammed Royal Stoke University Hospital<\/a> – after his dying mother faced a ’25-hour prescription delay’. Linda Lockett was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease – which makes it difficult to breathe – last June.<\/p>\n The 70-year-old was placed on a palliative care pathway and prescribed oral morphine for regular at-home pain relief. But the gran-of-two\u2019s condition suddenly deteriorated on February 7, leading to hospitalisation.<\/p>\n Linda passed away at the Douglas Macmillan Hospice on February 21. Her funeral was held at Carmountside Crematorium on Tuesday 17 March.<\/p>\n Son Sean Lockett, of Bucknall, told StokeonTrentLive: \u201cWe 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThen 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAt around 9am, a surgeon came to have a look at her. He said the scan showed she had a \u2018massive\u2019 blockage that was almost double the size of her intestine. He said my mum was very lucky her bowel hadn\u2019t perforated. He said they would normally operate but he wasn\u2019t sure if my mother would survive the procedure, considering her underlying conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n Doctors told Sean his mum was unlikely to survive for more than a few days and talks moved to making Linda as comfortable as possible in the time she had left.<\/p>\n \u201cThe surgeon said they\u2019d be back shortly to get medications sorted,\u201d the 46-year-old explained. “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\u2019d ever experienced. The nurse had a look to see what was prescribed. She told me my mum could have paracetamol.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t 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\u2019t prescribed anything. I told her we wanted to speak to a doctor. After she\u2019d been at the hospital for around 25 hours she was finally prescribed some proper medication. All that time she\u2019d only had paracetamol for pain relief.\u201d<\/p>\n Sean was left \u2018appalled\u2019 by the prescription mix-up.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cWe were in a desperate situation. We couldn\u2019t get proper information from anyone. The care from the doctors and the surgeons wasn\u2019t good enough, in my opinion. Although the general nursing care was excellent, my mother lost trust in the hospital.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a doctor tells you he\u2019s going to sort out medicine for your dying mother – who was already on a palliative care pathway – you don\u2019t expect there to be any issues. To then find out it hasn\u2019t been sorted 12 hours later, when she has the stuff at home anyway, is just ridiculous. It\u2019s a basic human right to be given some relief when you\u2019re in that much pain.\u201d<\/p>\n Sean has filed a complaint.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cThe hospital should be more aware of their patients\u2019 needs. When they say they\u2019re going to do something, they should do it. I think they need more staff so they\u2019re not stretched so thinly and they can give more proper attention to each patient.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think they should stop accepting so many patients who aren\u2019t from the local area. It seems like they\u2019re flying in patients from all over the place while 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Royal Stoke is aware of Sean\u2019s concerns.<\/p>\n Chief Nurse Ann-Marie Riley said: \u201cWe would like apologise for Mrs Lockett\u2019s 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\u2019s family to contact the patient advice and liaison team if they need any further support.\u201d<\/p>\n Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search<\/a><\/p>\n