THE grieving family of a father-of-three who died of cancer claim they were denied the chance to say a final goodbye after nurses apparently gave him the wrong type of drug.
Former soldier Andrew Coles, 36, who had been battling gullet cancer for almost six months, died at his east Hull home on September 17.
His mother, Theresa Green, claims he was given the wrong type of drug, leaving him unable to communicate, nine days before he died.
The Mail understands City Health Care Partnership CIC, which is responsible for providing end-of-life care, is investigating his death.
Mrs Green, of west Hull, said: "I am disgusted with what happened.
"I knew I was losing my son, but in the end that injection made him a cabbage.
"If he hadn't have had that injection, we believe we would have had more time to say our goodbyes.
"As a family, we are devastated."
Louisa Millington, 34, one of Mr Coles's four sisters, said he was talking coherently with family immediately before the injection on September 8.
She said: "My brother looked like a drunk slumped in his bed.
"From the moment he had that injection he could not move a limb. He was just a body in a bed."
Mrs Millington claims the family were told by a senior member of staff at City Health Care Partnership CIC that there had been a drugs mix-up.
"A manager phoned me and told me they had admitted giving him 20mg of the drug Midazolam by mistake instead of Buscopan," he said.
"I was told that the mistake happened because the brand name for both of the drugs begins with the letter 'H'.
"We all know Andrew was coming to the end of his life, but it's the way that he died that concerns us.
"Andrew was not the same man who left us that night.
"We want answers and we want reassurance this won't happen to anyone else."
Aged 17, Mr Coles joined the Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire, now part of The Yorkshire Regiment, and left after six years.
He held a number of labouring jobs and worked on the doors of several Hull pubs and clubs.
Mrs Millington joined her sisters, Victoria Coles, 33, Lyndsey Green, 35, and Nichola Adams, 40, in carrying their brother's coffin at his funeral last Friday.
Mrs Green paid tribute to her son.
"Andy was bubbly and outgoing," she said. "He was upfront with everyone. What you saw is what you got with him."
In a statement, a City Health Care Partnership CIC spokesman said: "We would like to express our deepest sympathy to Mr Coles's family at this very difficult time.
"We have not received an official complaint from his family and out of respect to them and to the patient are unable to make any comments of a personal nature about his care and treatment.
"Should the family wish to make a formal complaint, we would ask them to call our customer care team on 01482 347627 or email chcp. customercare@nhs.net."
The family have told the Mail they intend to make a formal complaint to the health body
