AN Addingham pensioner died after undergoing hernia repair surgery at a private hospital, an inquest heard.

The hearing in Bradford yesterday heard how 79-year-old James Hartley's family had expected him to be home on the day of the operation at the Yorkshire Clinic in Cottingley, but instead he suffered a series of seizures brought on by water intoxication after he failed to pass urine.

It led to his death from multi-organ failure eight days later on October 1 last year after doctors at the Yorkshire Clinic had him transferred to the intensive care unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Mr Hartley, of Hillside Close, had gone to the private hospital after using the NHS's Choose and Book System.

Although the operation itself was straightforward, complications set in when he was encouraged to keep drinking, but struggled to urinate and was kept in overnight.

His consultant, Jonathan Robinson, was not informed by the day ward when it shut at 9pm, the hearing was told.

Assistant Bradford Coroner, Oliver Longstaff, noted there had been an absence of nursing notes measuring Mr Hartley's fluid intake and output, and asked Mr Robinson: "The fact you weren't informed was a missed opportunity to do something about it?"

Mr Robinson replied: "Yes, certainly."

Mr Robinson also said he should have been told his patient was not fit enough to be discharged so he could have attended him, but it was only the next morning when he found out.

Pathologist, Dr Richard Knights, told the inquest that based on the background of the surgery being elective, Mr Hartley's death was not natural causes.

Agency nurse, Veronica Walker, said the clinic, unlike other hospitals, did not have a specific post-operative urine retention policy in place.

Instead, when she raised concerns with a senior nurse about Mr Hartley, she was told to give him a heat pack to help relax his muscles.

Despite a bladder scan showing Mr Hartley was over the limit for the point a catheter should have been fitted to help him pass urine, it was another three hours before the procedure was carried out by agency doctor Aurel Sbarcea, the clinic's resident medical officer, despite him knowing the scan results.

Dr Sbarcea said Mr Hartley had been anxious about having the catheter and had wanted to wait to try to urinate himself.

The inquest also heard tributes to Mr Hartley from his family.

In a letter read to the hearing, his widow, Angela said: "The impact is enormous. It should never have happened. It's impossible to get over this. The latter years of my life have been changed in a sad way forever."

The hearing continues.

Mr Robinson, who only found out the next morning, said it had been a missed opportunity

raThere had been an absence of nursing notes recording how much fluid Mr Hartley had been drinking and how much he was urinating, the inquest waDoctors at the clinic transferred Mr Hartley, who had been fit and healthy apart from his hernia, to Bradford Royal Infirmary's Intensive Care Unit where he died on October 1 last year from multi-organ failure.

Pathologist Dr Richard Knights