Ulverston family ‘traumatised’ by mum’s end-of-life care

A family said they were left “traumatised” when promised support during the last days of their mother’s life was never delivered.

Debra Gundy said her mother Ann Bowling, 78, from Ulverston, deserved “dignity, comfort, and timely support” in her last days, but instead was left with “horrendous” end-of-life care.

A plan had been put in place with University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) to care for the former care home manager at home or in a hospice, but despite repeated promises it was never enacted, Gundy said.

The trust said it was sorry to hear of their experience but was unable to comment further as an investigation was ongoing.

Bowling suffered from advanced pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema – both chronic lung conditions – as well as heart failure in the lead-up to her death on 20 October.

Gundy, 52, said she and her two sisters had been left to care for their mother alone, meaning no nurse was there to administer medication they had been given to ease her pain.

“We’re all completely traumatised by it,” she said. “We just feel so bad because we should have been holding my mum’s hand and talking about memories and nice things that we’ve done, and all we did was fight with services and not know what we’re doing.

“It was just horrendous. It was awful.”

Gundy said her mother’s health had worsened in July 2026 after a spell in Furness General Hospital with pneumonia, which weakened her lungs further.

The family’s understanding was that she would be cared for at home by a rapid response team and there would be a place available at a hospice if things got too much.

Repeated visits from nurses had led to promises of fast-track care as Bowling’s health deteriorated and she became bed-bound, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Gundy said: “We were not expecting a miracle, but what we expected was that she would receive the end-of-life care that professionals had assessed and approved and promised.”

The sisters have submitted a complaint to the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), which oversees and commissions services from UHMBT.

Gundy said in the week leading up to their mother’s death, she and her sisters were told funding was in place for the agreed palliative care, but the package was still out to tender.

Nurses came out three days before her passing to fit a catheter, but Gundy said they had failed to pick up that her mother was close to death.

She said: “They told my sister that we’ll know when she’s dying. My sister was crying saying, ‘She’s dying now. I know she’s dying.’

“And they walked out the door and that was the last time we had a nurse.”

Gundy said she had called the district nurse two days later in “an absolute state” and “begged for somebody to come out”.

The sisters do not blame any individual nurse but the system and communication between teams.

Gundy said: “She was so poorly and we were on our own. We had no support, absolutely on our own and it was just awful.”

She said dozens of other families had been in contact with her since she posted about her experience on social media, telling her they had had similar experiences.

“This is why I’m doing it essentially, because it needs to change and somebody needs to be accountable,” she added.

A spokesperson for the ICB said they were sorry to hear about the family’s experience and acknowledged their concerns.

They said: “We have received their complaint and are investigating the circumstances to establish what happened. We will keep the family informed as the investigation progresses.

“As this investigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further at this stage.”

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