A grieving widow is demanding answers after her husband died 17 hours after being sent home from hospital.

William Romp, 88, was taken back to his house in Brymore Road, Canterbury, by ambulance after a doctor deemed him fit for discharge.

But after the crew who dropped him home raised concerns about his condition, his family called for another doctor, who told them to get him to hospital.

His wife, Brenda, 82, says the paramedics had already left so they dialled 999 and William was rushed back to Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

It was the last time she would see him alive.

Brenda has questioned why retired postman William, who suffered with dementia and the lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, was ever discharged in the first place.

She said: “When he got home the man could barely stand.

“He was so ill he couldn’t eat or drink. He could hardly speak, he couldn’t stand up.

“The ambulance men got him into bed and one of them said to me that he shouldn’t be here. He could hardly breathe.”

Brenda has also raised concerns about William’s care, recalling the haunting last moments they shared together after 36 years of marriage.

“All he had on was a pair of hospital pyjamas they’d sent him home in, even though he had new clothes in his bag,” she said.

“The ambulance people wouldn’t even put his dressing gown on and it was bitterly cold. His teeth were chattering.

"The doctor said Bill was perfectly fit to send home. I asked them 'why did he die then?' I can't get any answers. It's disgusting" - Brenda Romp

“They got him into the chair and all of a sudden he stopped breathing as heavy and he looked at me.

“It was the look in his eyes. He said ‘can you look after me darling?’ I told him I wasn’t well enough to but that he’d be OK.”

Brenda and her daughter, Julie, were called by hospital staff the following morning to say William’s condition was deteriorating.

They arrived at 9.45am – 15 minutes after he had died.

“It was terrible,” Brenda said. “We were sitting in this room with the doctor and he said Bill was perfectly fit to send home when he was discharged.

“I asked them ‘why did he die then?’ I can’t get any answers. It’s disgusting.

“I want to know why he was sent home like that. He was so weak he couldn’t even talk to me properly.

“He was a fussy man, a smart man, but his nails were filthy. When they let me see him he stank.

“His hair was usually blonde but it was dark brown because of the grease. I put my hand under the bedclothes to hold his hand and he was still damp.

“He wasn’t looked after properly and I need answers. He was such a loving, romantic husband. It just hurts that I can’t find anything out. I think I deserve to know so it can put my mind at rest.”

An inquest has been opened into William’s death in November, meaning the circumstances surrounding it will be scrutinised by a coroner.

Brenda said: “I can’t sleep. Every time I walk past his bedroom all I can think is about when he left the house without his dressing gown on.

“It was that look in his eyes. I don’t feel like he’s gone.”

Brenda has made a formal complaint about William’s care to the patient advice and liaison service.

KentOnline's sister paper the Kentish Gazette asked the East Kent Hospitals Trust for a comment, but it said it was unable to provide one.