A FATHER has told of the devastating moment he watched his young son die following complications from heart surgery.

Stephen Jenkins, 31, from St Mellons, said he and his family took the heartbreaking decision to switch off their seven-year-old son Luke’s life support machine.

Luke Jenkins died in April last year at Bristol Children’s Hospital three days after suffering a cardiac arrest, the inquest at Avon Coroner’s Court heard.

He was born in November 2004 with a congenital heart defect and underwent a series of operations during his short life.

On March 30, 2012, he was admitted to the hospital and underwent successful corrective surgery. But, despite being expected to make a full recovery, on April 6, Luke began complaining of severe chest pains and, while an echocardiogram machine was being collected, he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Mr Jenkins was too ill to attend the inquest and submitted a lengthy written statement. It said the family was concerned Luke was not receiving the appropriate level of care at the hospital.

“The ward seemed short staffed and one of the nurses told me she had been called in by an agency,” the statement said.

Speaking of the day of his son’s cardiac arrest, he added: “We believe it took between six and eight minutes before any proper alarms were raised and we were left holding an oxygen mask over his face. There did not seem to be any organisation and everyone seemed to panic.

“Eventually the resuscitation team arrived and one of the doctors seemed quite agitated and asked staff what had gone on. We were then told that he was seriously unwell and may not survive.”

A report published last year partly blamed bank holiday staff shortages for the boy’s death.

The report revealed his death was due in part to the duty surgeon having to be urgently called in from home on Good Friday when Luke collapsed, something admitted by hospital bosses.

Junior nursing staff lost vital time because they did not know where resuscitation equipment was kept. The emergency team was also unfamiliar with the equipment because cardiac arrest was rare in the ward environment.

Luke’s grieving parents have previously spoken of their anger at what they claim is the lack of care before and on the day of their son’s death.The hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.