Beloved dad died four days after £12.5k surgery, now his family has 'no choice'

The family of a 48-year-old man who died after undergoing £12,500 gastric sleeve surgery is taking legal action against the private healthcare firm that treated him.

Phillip Morris, a musician, actor, businessman and author from Newport, Wales, died following weight loss surgery at St Anthony's Hospital in Surrey, operated by Spire Healthcare. The father-of-one had hoped to reduce his weight from 22 stone to 15 stone through the surgery, which he was told could transform his life with a healthy diet and exercise.

Initially, Phillip was scheduled to have the operation on the NHS at St George's Hospital in Tooting in 2020, but he forgot to take his insulin on the morning of one of his appointments, which affected his glucose levels and delayed treatment.

When it was time for him to return to the hospital for the procedure, the UK was under lockdown and all elective NHS procedures had been halted. Dr Omar Khan, a bariatric surgeon at both St George's and praSt Anthony's, suggested that Phillip consider going private.

Phillip's weight had been causing issues with his eyes, known as diabetic retinopathy, which he knew would be helped by the surgery. He therefore opted to go private, agreeing to the £12,500 fee, reports Wales Online.

"Phillip was told the Spire St Anthony's was as safe as St George's and he'd have one-to-one care," Phillip's wife Dana Morris recalled.

"If I knew then what I know now I'd have said 'Let's just wait until the pandemic clears and limit the risks.' But Phillip was worried about losing his eyesight. He also desperately wanted to be able to act again.

"Phillip had been wielding huge swords around the stage as Macduff in Macbeth as well as many other productions which required a lot of physical