“SHE was just a bloody number” - that was the reaction of the heartbroken widower whose wife died hours after she was told she’d be discharged from hospital.

Devastated John Kitchener is appealing for help in taking action against the hospital he says failed his beloved wife, Andrea.

He claims Darlington Memorial Hospital made a series of blunders with his wife’s care before making “horrendous” errors with paperwork that delayed the release of her body – and delayed her funeral, as a result.

The distressing situation meant Mr Kitchener was unable to visit his partner of 25 years following her death – the first time the couple had been separated since meeting.

Darlington FC fan Andrea Kitchener, from Reeth, was 59 when she died on Wednesday, February 5.

Her husband says she was active and in good health before being taken to hospital at about 3am that morning.

Sleep apnoea sufferer Mrs Kitchener struggled to breathe after an oxygen machine malfunctioned and was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital where a doctor examined her and said she could go home.

When Mr Kitchener arrived 30 minutes later, his wife had taken a turn for the worse and within hours of her being declared fit for discharge, her condition had deteriorated and she was on a life-support machine – having first been kept on a trolley for around eight hours.

Against Mr Kitchener’s wishes, doctors turned off the machine at 6pm and Mrs Kitchener died 15 minutes later.

The widower then waited over a week for his wife’s body to be released because of delays in paperwork.

Mr Kitchener, 64, is now demanding answers as he struggles to cope with the circumstances surrounding his wife’s death.

He said: “My girl went in because her machine had broken and she had a cough.

“They told her she could go home and now she’s dead – what’s gone wrong?

“It’s incredible there was no autopsy and they won’t tell me the name of the doctor who said she could leave – it’s like they’re covering it up.

“I went from pillar to post to get certificates and couldn’t get her body released for six days – then they hadn’t sent the certificates to the undertaker so he couldn’t collect her.

“I wasn’t allowed to see her and because of the hospital’s balls-up she can’t be cremated until next week.

“It’s my duty to bring her home and they wouldn’t let me do it – I want answers so this never happens to someone else.”

He added: “I’m absolutely devastated - in there, she was just a bloody number but my wife was tremendous.

“She was wonderful and I’ll miss her enormously – we were perfect for each other and never apart.”

A spokesman from the County Durham and Darlington Foundation Trust said: “We offer sincere condolences to Mr Kitchener on the death of his wife.

“We are sorry to learn of his concerns and would be very happy to meet with him to discuss them and to try and resolve them for him.”

Mrs Kitchener’s funeral will be held at Darlington Crematorium from 11am on Wednesday, February 18.