AN elderly man who died at a controversial hospital told his son in his final words to him that the staff were ''killing'' him, an inquest heard today.

Robert Wilson was admitted to the Gosport War Memorial Hospital (GWMH) in October 1998 after he had suffered a broken arm.

The 74-year-old also suffered from liver problems because of a long-standing heavy drink problem, the inquest heard.

His son Iain Wilson told the hearing that his father, who had served in the Royal Navy, had initially been admitted to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth having suffered a fall at his home in Sarisbury Green.

At first he was quite poorly, according to Mr Wilson, but had made an ''immense'' recovery before he was transferred to GWMH on October 14, 1998, where he died four days later.

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But when he visited his father the following day, Mr Wilson said he had deteriorated severely.

Mr Wilson, from Gosport, said: ''I went to give him a cuddle and he spoke his last words to me: 'Help me son, they are killing me.'

''I said 'No they are not Dad, they are trying to do the best for you' and I left him there.

''When I went in the following day, he was in a coma.''

Mr Wilson told the inquest that staff at the hospital had refused to keep him informed of his father's condition because he was not the designated family member.

He added that because of rifts in the family, it had been difficult for him to find out about his father's condition.

Mr Wilson admitted: ''I kicked off because I was excluded because I was not the designated family member and I was threatened with being evicted from the hospital.''

The inquest heard that Mr Wilson was administered the painkiller diamorphine through a syringe driver from October 16.

But his son said that he was not informed by staff why the syringe driver was being used.

Mr Wilson said: ''I think it is because of the drugs that his condition changed.''

The inquest has heard that Mr Wilson died of heart failure as well as renal and liver failure.

Inquests are being held at Portsmouth Coroner's Court into the death of 10 patients at GWMH more than 10 years ago.

Hampshire police have carried out a series of investigations into the treatment of 92 patients at the Hampshire hospital in the late 1990s but no prosecutions were brought by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Some of the families believe that sedatives such as diamorphine were over-prescribed at the hospital and led to the death of their relatives who were receiving recuperative care.

As well as the police investigation, an inquiry was held by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) which criticised prescribing practices at the Hampshire hospital.

The inquests are being held into the death of Arthur Cunningham, 79, from Gosport who died on September 26, 1998; Elsie Devine, 88, on November 21, 1999; Sheila Gregory, 91, of Gosport, on November 22, 1999 and Ruby Lake, 84, of Gosport, on August 21, 1998.

The other deaths are of Elsie Lavender, 83, of Gosport, on March 6, 1996; Geoffrey Packman, 67, of Emsworth, on September 3, 1999; Leslie Pittock, 82, on January 24, 1996; Helena Service, 99, of Gosport, on June 5, 1997; Enid Spurgin, 92, of Gosport, on April 13, 1999, and Robert Wilson, 75, of Sarisbury Green, on October 18, 1998.