A father-of-two died in hospital after a severe bleed was not dealt with quickly enough, a court heard.

Gert Imig, 72, from Stevens Lane, Claygate, was taken to Kingston Hospital by ambulance after suffering from shortness of breath, on April 1, last year.

He died 14 days later from a large internal bleed in his digestive tract. An inquest into his death was held at West London Coroner’s Court, on Wednesday.

Giving evidence, William Culling, divisional director of emergency care at the hospital, said there had been a “failure to recognise and a failure to treat” him.

Pathologist Rob Chapman gave the cause of death as a cardiac arrest, caused by a large bleed.

Witnesses highlighted a number of problems with his care including staff changing his drug dosage without prior testing, delays in treatment and a lack of communication between staff.

Drugs to stop his blood clotting were increased two days before he died in the early hours of April 13.

The cause of Mr Imig’s bleed was unknown, but medical experts think the drugs may have exacerbated it.

A blood test advised by John Chinegwundoh, a consultant physician at Kingston Hospital, should have been carried out by staff earlier, the court heard.

Dr Chinegwundoh told the court: “All you can say is that the patient was not given the best possible chance for survival.”

Katherine Fairbairn, a junior doctor in April 2013, said the hospital was “exceptionally busy” the night Mr Imig died.

An hour after being informed of Mr Imig’s bleed, she prescribed drugs to help with blood clotting and did not return until his cardiac arrest an hour later.

His wife Gloria Imig said: “We are grateful to those who did their best for my husband.

"However, the failure to carry out a consultant’s instruction, which may have avoided my husband’s internal bleeding, compounded by the night doctor failing even to see my husband when she knew that he was suffering a life-threatening loss of blood is very hard to accept.”

The inquest has been adjourned and a date is yet to be set when Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield will make his verdict.