Nurse, 51, died alone in his flat while in quarantine after his calls to NHS 111 went unanswered and feared he contracted coronavirus from treating patient while not wearing PPE, his family say

• The body of Donald Suelto, 51, was found by police at home in London on April 7 
• Chemotherapy nurse had been in isolation with suspected Covid-19 symptoms 
• Mr Suelto’s niece Emylene Suelto-Robertson has opened up on his tragic death
• Learn more about how to help people impacted by COVID

A nurse died alone in his flat while in quarantine after his calls to NHS 111 went unanswered and he feared he contracted coronavirus from treating a patient while not wearing PPE, his family have said.

The body of chemotherapy nurse Donald Suelto, 51, was found by police at his home in London on April 7 following concerns for his welfare.

Mr Suelto, from the Philippines, who worked at Hammersmith hospital in west London, had been in isolation with suspected Covid-19 symptoms.

Donald Suelto, 51, died in his flat while in quarantine after his calls to NHS 111 went unanswered

Mr Suelto’s niece Emylene Suelto-Robertson has opened up on his tragic death

His niece Emylene Suelto-Robertson, 38, has opened up on her uncle’s tragic death earlier this month.  

‘It’s so tragic. He was told to dial 111 but the lines were so busy. He just couldn’t get through,’ she said.

‘He messaged a colleague at work on April 5 saying he was struggling to get through. It was the last contact anyone had.

‘I was trying to contact him but he didn’t answer so I expected he was already in the hospital. But he died before he could ring 999.’   

Mr Suelto suffered from asthma, had complained about the shortage of PPE and was instructed to contact the NHS 111 line when his condition deteriorated, but he was unsuccessful. 

He revealed to Emylene, who lives in Dunbar, Scotland, he feared he contracted coronavirus from treating a patient suffering from a cough and a high temperature without PPE.

 ‘He said that he hadn’t been given any PPE and that his manager kept telling him they were short,’ she said.

‘My uncle spent 18 years serving the NHS and has paid the ultimate price.

‘At first we didn’t even know where his body was taken and we still don’t have a death certificate.

‘We are waiting patiently but it is not right.’

Mr Suelto feared he contracted coronavirus from treating a patient while not wearing PPE

An RAF plane collecting crucial PPE for the coronavirus battle is still grounded in Turkey today with ministers admitting the desperately-needed supplies might not be in the UK for days. 

The government originally declared that the 84 tonnes of life-saving equipment would arrive on Sunday, but it failed to turn up. They then claimed it would arrive yesterday, but the first military flight sent to pick it up has yet to start the journey back. 

A spokesperson for Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust said: ‘We are very saddened by Donald’s death and our thoughts and condolences are with his family, friends and colleagues at this especially difficult time.

‘We strictly follow national guidance on the use of personal protective equipment. Donald was not working in an area for Covid-19 patients.’

NHS England declined to comment. 

The UK had 124,743 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 16,509 deaths from the illness had been recorded at the time of publication.

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