The parents of a Down’s syndrome man who died after he was not fed in hospital for 26 days are to be paid £40,000 in compensation for the suffering they were caused.

Martin Ryan, 43, was taken to Kingston Hospital after a stroke in 2005, but doctors did not realise that neither a stomach nor a nasal tube had been connected.

He went without food for 18 days until this was spotted, by which time he was too weak for a feeding tube to be connected. He died 26 days after being admitted to hospital.

An investigation by the Health Service Ombudsman discovered a lack of communication between a consultant and ward sister and said that Mr Martin may otherwise have survived.

It ordered Kingston Hospitals NHS Trust to pay £40,000 in compensation to Mr Martin’s family.

"We are very angry that the staff who did that to him are not named and brought to justice. Until they are I will never feel that he has had justice," his mother Vera commented.

Clinical negligence occurs when a professional in the health service provides care that is deemed to be below standard and this causes physical injury, death or distress and anyone affected should seek legal advice as soon as possible.