A KENDAL care home has been labelled 'shocking' for its treatment of a man dying from asbestos-related cancer and his family at an inquest.

Michael Myers, 72, died at Kendal Care Home on Burton Road on November 6 2022 as a result of malignant mesothelioma caused by 'very regular exposure to asbestos dust'.

The inquest at Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard he was born in Dalmeny, Scotland, and moved with his parents to Barrow when he was three years old.

He had worked at Vickers Armstrong, Vickers Shipbuilding, and latterly BAE Systems in Barrow.

Assistant Coroner for Cumbria Robert Cohen said Mr Myers, a 'very-much loved family man', had dealt with his diagnosis of the disease in September 2021 with 'astonishing stoicism'.

A statement read to the court by Mr Myers' niece Claire Williams told how Mr Myers said to her after his diagnosis: 'No-one’s allowed to cry, it is what it is.'

Mr Myers was a carer for his wife June, who developed severe epilepsy at 42 years old, and after his diagnosis, searched for a care home that could accommodate both of them together.

Ms Williams said of her uncle: "He was constantly on call for her (June), they spent a lot of their time on holiday, going abroad regularly on cruises.

"He worked hard and saved hard so they could go on holiday and spared no expense.

"Michael loved his cars and holidays and treated June like a princess, buying her whatever she wanted.

"(Until the end,) his main priority never wavered from making sure June was looked after."

Kendal Care Home was the closest to their home that would accept them together and the couple moved there in early 2022.

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Ms Williams added during the inquest: "He didn't have the end to life that he wished to have.

"Kendal Care Home was shocking.

"They were self-funding and paid £11,000 a month for pair of them.

"The food was inedible, the staff, some of them had English as their third or fourth language, they couldn't read the care plans.

"They went from being very proud people who had the best of everything to living in a room which looked more like one a student would be living in.

"The bathroom was not cleaned, sanitary products were overflowing in bins, it was no way to be seen to die."

The inquest heard that upon Mr Myers' death at 4.10am care home staff called the police, which Mr Cohen called ‘wrong’, and that when a person dies of asbestos-related disease, there is no obligation to call the police.

The inquest heard that Mr Myers was left in his room with his wife and brother for seven hours after he died before his death was certified by an on-call clinical practitioner.

Mr Cohen said of this: "To maintain the dignity of people who are elderly and in certain cases are dying is one of the very most important things.

"And to me, that did not happen here.

"I have huge sympathy and I commend you (Ms Williams) – you are quite right to raise these matters.

"We have to pass the message on that keeping your family waiting for hours on end after Mr Myers had died for no actual reason was inhumane in the extreme."

Mr Myers was said by the registered manager of Kendal Care Home, Graham Burrell, to have 'had capacity' until the final days of his life.

'All his clinical care needs were met by the care team at Kendal Care Home," said Mr Burrell.

Mr Myers' wife died 12 weeks later.

Ms Williams said: "Leading up to his death, when he started to deteriorate, she said 'He was my life'.

"They were together every day.

"She didn’t have a reason to fight, to continue.

"It was a broken heart (that killed her).

"She had no purpose in life after watching her husband die that way."