"NHS Services in Bristol and South Somerset - pulmonary fibrositis care in 2002"

My brother Richard born in March 1939 studied at Cambridge, tought modern languages in the UK and Singapore for 20 years and then became a soft fruit farmer for the remainder of his life.

He had been healthy up until 2001, when shortness of breath forced him to see his local GP; he was referred to a specialist who suggested idiopathic pulmonary fibrositis; he was sent to Bristol BMH and I visited him daily.

He was given a lung autopsy, the treatment was poor, the nursing varied from fair to brutal, cleanliness suspect and he emerged from there a much sicker man.

He was then referred to Yeovil General which provided excellent service, was clean, the nursing good and he was treated with great care and respect. Notwithstanding he was now on oxygen full time and continued to deteriorate rapidly on his return home; since he could no longer climb the stairs in his house, he came to live with me in my bungalow for the last few weeks of his life. Early morning of 16 July 2002 I found him in a dire state with his oxygen "mask" detached; I contacted our local GP who incredibly arrived within 15 minutes.

He died shortly after aged 62.