WARNING: Graphic images below

A woman whose dad died after suffering from a rare skin condition is demanding answers over his treatment.

Anthony Andrews initially went to hospital with an ulcer on his foot but within six months his condition deteriorated and part of his right leg had to be amputated.

Mr Andrews died from a heart attack in his wife Ann's arms in February this year at the age of 76.

His daughter, Michele Powell-Bevan, said she was repeatedly told by consultants at Medway Maritime Hospital that he could not receive specialist care because "they no longer had a dermatology department".

Ms Powell-Bevan "begged" every day for a skin care doctor to examine her father, who spent a month on a ward. She eventually got a referral to the St John's unit based at Guy's Hospital, London.

Ms Powell-Bevan, who lives in Ludlow, Shropshire, said her previously active father was diagnosed with pyoderma gangrenosum, a condition only contracted by one in 50,000 people.

The part-time garden nursery worker said: "It was horrendous. His legs from the knee down turned black and there was this awful smelly liquid oozing from sores. He lost weight and could not walk unaided.

"All we were told was that DMC Healthcare had taken over dermatology.

"We waited and waited for appointments that never came until gangrene set into his leg and as a result it had to be amputated, which was traumatic.

"Day after day we telephoned the numbers, but the phones were never answered, I even thought they didn't exist.

"When my father was eventually admitted to hospital because he was at death's door, all the consultants at Medway told me - when I begged them to get my father some help from someone who knew about his condition - was that dermatology services had been closed and they didn't know who was dealing with them.

"The whole episode is an outrage and somebody needs to be held accountable."

She said patients deserved to be have been treated better.

Mr Andrews lived with wife Ann, 75, in Edwin Road, Rainham. The couple had a holiday home in France which they regularly visited.

Before retiring, he was a technical director at the Abbott Laboratories, Sheppey, and was also an active member of St Margaret's Church, Rainham.

He was also chairman of The Freedom Centre, Sheerness, a day centre which supports disabled people and in his younger days he used to go cross-country running and also ran the London Marathon.

Ms Powell-Bevan received a letter from Medway NHS Trust apologising that her experience had not been a positive one.

Penned by Harvey McEnroe, chief operating officer, it said: "It is felt that it would have helped tremendously if a local dermatologist was available in person to look at the wound and help management. Requesting tertiary dermatologist support from St John's department at St Thomas appears to be very difficult."

It said it was felt the long-term management of the leg ulcers would be more appropriately left to the outpatient team.

The letter continued: "It is likely that sadly the outcome would have been the same, although dermatology review on site could have provided better care for your father.

"The Trust did their best to liaise with dermatology departments within the regions, however unfortunately at that time we did not have dermatology on site."

Dr Nadeem Moghal, chief executive of DMC Healthcare added: "I am sure you understand that in keeping with patient confidentiality we are, like every healthcare provider, not in a position to share or discuss patient details and related care.

"You will know that to fully understand the issues related to any clinical care requires that providers use accepted national frameworks for investigation, to identify where care can be improved.

"Without that level of investigation, incorrect assumptions are too easily drawn."

The service was outsourced to private medical company DMC Healthcare, but it was stripped of its control in July and is currently being investigated by Kent NHS bosses.

The Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group has revealed that an independent review is taking place to see if delays to treatment for thousands of patients using services run by DMC in north Kent have "caused harm".

"This comes after the NHS took away contracts worth £4.1m a year from the south London-based firm due to "patient safety fears" in June.

DMC was responsible for nearly 60,000 patients at nine surgeries in Medway and skin condition services for other parts of Kent.

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