A PERSON suffering from a similar debilitating medical condition as a Taunton man who died 10 years ago would receive vastly improved health and social care, a review has concluded.

The investigation followed assertions by the mother of Andrew Prentice that while she and her son raised numerous complaints about his health and social care, little had changed since he passed away in 2009 with respect to the various services he tried to access.

Mr Prentice, of Cory Road, developed pancreatitis overnight as a 15-year-old and his life deteriorated to such an extent that he later lost his job, marriage and home.

He suffered chronic abdominal pain, frequently vomited, became diabetic, suffered fits and collapses, overdosed, was depressed and self-harmed, ahead of his death aged 38, an inquest in 2011 heard.

The Coroner recorded an open verdict, with the cause of death combined acute toxicity from amitriptyline and zopiclone - medicines he had been prescribed.

After Mrs Prentice voiced concerns that her son had been let down, Sandra Corry, the director of quality and nursing at Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group, together with Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust and Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, commissioned an independent external review.

The object of the initiative, led by Professor Brian Toft, was to identify opportunities to improve care across a range of health and social care services; review areas where service provision failed to meet Mr Prentice's health and social care needs and form a view on whether these conditions continue; use the findings to inform individual service providers and the wider care system of gaps in services and/or arrangements which should be prioritised for improvement; review how complaints are responded to now in Somerset.

The report concludes anyone suffering from a similar medical condition would now find a health and social care environment that is vastly improved.

The report makes recommendations where further improvements can be made and these are being reviewed and actioned.

A statement in response to the review from NHS Somerset CCG, Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust said: “We wish to express our sympathy to Mrs Prentice for the loss of her son.

"We understand her frustration and feeling that health and social services let her son down. We hope this review and our commitment to take action where possible will bring her some comfort.

“In Somerset, health and social care agencies are working together more and more to ensure services are integrated.”

A Somerset County Council spokesman said: “We understand the frustration this case caused and reiterate our sympathies to Mrs Prentice.

"There have been considerable improvements across the system since the period covered by this review, but more can always be done and we welcome the report and its recommendations which are being taken forward by all the agencies involved.”