The family of a 61-year-old grandfather who died six hours after he was admitted to Watford General want staff responsible for his care named and shamed now the hospital has conceded "mistakes were made".

Postman Robert Wilton, of Reynolds Close in Hemel Hempstead, died in the early hours of Saturday, May 24, following an admission to accident and emergency with difficulty breathing.

West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust found early warning signs Mr Wilton’s condition was deteriorating were "not picked up immediately and appropriately managed".

Mr Wilton’s sister Judith Penrose said as a result of those mistakes her brother was moved out of resus after the family had left the hospital when he wasn’t well enough and subsequently not monitored correctly by staff.

The hospital launched a serious incident investigation following Mr Wilton’s death which highlighted several failings but Mrs Penrose said no individual nurses and doctors have been held accountable.

She said: "Robert was reasonably fit. He cycled about 60 miles a week and had worked his full shift from 4am the day he went into hospital. He should have survived.

"Nothing can bring Robert back, but we want to be reassured the people responsible for the outcome are held accountable for their actions.

"The doctors and staff involved seem to be Teflon-coated. We want them named and shamed."

Mrs Penrose said the consequences of mistakes made into Mr Wilton’s care have been "life-shattering" for his family, who were at his bedside for most of his stay in Watford General.

The family was told to return home at 2.30am by nursing staff who said they were only waiting for a bed to become available. Robert's family did not make it back to the hospital before he went into cardiac arrest and died.

Mrs Penrose added: "We never would have left the hospital if they had accurately diagnosed Robert’s condition or given us any indication of its severity. His care in that hospital was shambolic. The investigation showed, amongst other things, a failure to recognise an acutely ill patient due to lack of knowledge and skills.

"We have been in meetings with trust executives since Robert died but this many months have passed and still no one has been held accountable."

Dr Mike van der Watt, West Herts medical director, said the trust has commissioned an external review of Mr Wilton’s case.

He said: "I have met with the family of Mr Wilton, together with our chief executive and chief nurse, to discuss in detail the events leading up to his death and the resulting investigation we launched.

"It is clear that Mr Wilton did not receive the high standard of safe and compassionate care we expect and I have sincerely apologised to the family for the distress this has caused them, and for the mistakes that were made.

"We have addressed the key issues that have come out of the investigation, including ensuring that patients, particularly those who are very seriously ill, are properly assessed and monitored by our doctors so that any early warning signs that their condition is deteriorating are picked up immediately and appropriately managed, which did not happen in this case.

"I have reassured the family that all serious incidents of this nature are reviewed as part of an individual member of staff’s appraisal process, with extra training and supervision put in place if appropriate. I have also addressed the communication issues raised by Mr Wilton’s family with the members of staff involved.

"Following the serious incident investigation into Mr Wilton’s care we have commissioned an external review to be carried out by an independent consultant and senior nurse, and the family will be involved in agreeing the terms of reference of the review. We will also provide them with full feedback of their review."