The family of a taxi driver who beat cancer say a huge error made by doctors caused him to have a stroke.
Doctors didn't remove an Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filter from Philip Gregory's body, the Liverpool Echo reports.
An IVC filter is a temporary device used to reduce the risk of blood clots.
It was fitted on April 30, 2019, ahead of the 63-year-old's life-saving cancer operation.
The filter should not have been kept inside grandad, Philip's body for no more than eight weeks.
Despite the dad-of-two having two outpatient follow up appointments, the mistake was only noticed in January this year.
Philip now needs to inject himself with anti-blood clotting medication everyday.
He'll need to carry out the unpleasant task for the rest of this life.
Philip sadly suffered a stroke this year.
His family say the error put him at greater risk of a stroke, only adding to their fury with staff at Aintree Hospital.
Senior figures at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Aintree, have apologised for leaving the IVC filter in place.
But Mr Gregory has suffered partial paralysis and needs to be fed through a tube due to difficulties swallowing food - a problem meaning he could choke if left to feed himself.
The "wonderful" granddad has been stuck in hospital since the stroke and his family have been unable to visit due to coronavirus restrictions - meaning he is yet to meet his recently born second grandchild.
The blunder was also compounded by a second, highly distressing mistake shortly after Mr Gregory was admitted back to Aintree following the stroke.
Doctors wrongly told his stunned family his cancer had returned and he had only two weeks to live - suggesting Mr Gregory had been "keeping things" from them about his health.
The hospital even suggested it was pointless treating the stroke and recommended end of life care - but when the family challenged the upsetting opinion it suddenly emerged that the diagnosis was completely incorrect and Mr Gregory was not dying.
The family have slammed Aintree, say he now needs 24 hour care and fear he will be discharged to a care home miles from where they live.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mr Gregory told the ECHO: "I am not happy about it.
"I just want to get out of here and see my family."
His daughter-in-law, Clare Gregory, said: "The process of discharging dad has begun, as they say dad has made as good a recovery from his stroke that he'll ever make.
"They are looking to place him in the nearest soonest available care home in Sefton, despite Dad's wishes to be closer to his family in Wilmslow and Northwich.
"To seek a suitable, mutually agreeable home would be more taxing in terms of time and effort but our belief is that the hospital should be bending over backwards to accommodate his wishes considering the harm they caused Dad by leaving the IVC filter in him, and especially as the stroke was very likely caused by the filter, which is the reason he can no longer live independently."
Mr Gregory was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, the tube which carries food into the stomach, early last year.
He was referred for surgery at Aintree Hospital to remove a cancerous section of the oesophagus, an operation planned for March 2.
The IVC filter, a device with an umbrella like metal frame designed to "catch" any clots before they reach the lungs or heart, was fitted without issue and the surgery took place as planned.
The treatment was a success and after several weeks Mr Gregory appeared to have made a full recovery.
He was discharged home on June 25 last year, but should have undergone a second procedure to remove the IVC filter by July 27.
According to a hospital Root Cause Analysis investigation, a member of staff in the radiology department had requested the removal but mistakenly added it to a waiting list rather than a "planned" list.
The error was compounded by the fact Mr Gregory was also wrongly marked as a private patient, meaning the NHS consultant overseeing his care was unable to see the request on his records and did not realise it had not been carried out.
The investigation report, which was written before Mr Gregory had the stroke, states: "Had the patient been added to the planned list, it is likely his retrieval appointment would have been booked as planned.
"Additionally, had the patient's consultant had oversight of the retrieval of the patient's IVC filter, it is likely it would have been identified much sooner that it hadnot been retrieved."
The report concluded there was "no robust central process in place" for the tracking of patients with IVC filters, and identified a lack of communication between the radiology department and Mr Gregory's clinical team.
Mr Gregory's son, Chris Gregory, said: "I am heartbroken to be honest. He's missed the birth of our son.
"Before he got ill he used to do taxi driving, and he was always walking his dogs.
"He was a musician, he loved his guitars and he loved jazz music. He was always buying guitars. But now because of the stroke that has been taken from him."
Chris and his wife Clare said Mr Gregory did not like to complain, but said he is struggling with the consequences of the mistake - including the worry that the IVC filter could "migrate" in his body creating life-threatening problems.
Clare said: "He was depressed and of course he was angry.
"He had been pleased after making what seemed like a full recovery from his cancer, to now having something that he can't do anything about that could end his life.
"He had the attitude of 'it is what it is, you just have to get on with it'. But you could tell it was making him depressed."
In a statement to the ECHO, chief nurse for LUHFT Dianne Brown, said: "I would like to repeat our sincere apologies to Mr Gregory and his family. We aim to deliver the safest possible care to all our patients, but unfortunately sometimes errors can occur.
“We always strive to learn from these so we can reduce the chance of them re-occurring. In Mr Gregory’s case the investigation has led to changes in the process for removing IVC filters.
"We will certainly discuss any further concerns which Mr Gregory and his family may have.”
