£15K PAYOUT DONATED TO CHARITY

June 2015. Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust denied allegations of care failings.

But after a three-year legal battle the trust has agreed to pay his family the £15,000 in an out-of-court settlement.

Roberta said: “My father was full of life and a very independent man.

“He would have still been here with us today if it wasn’t for the injury caused at Basildon Hospital. What happened has devastated our family. We haven’t even had an apology.”

Mr Gold, whose wife Joyce died from cancer in 2002, served with the RAF in the Second World War, driving trucks with parts for armoury and planes.

In April 1945 he helped to liberate Bergen-belsen concentration camp in northern Germany, where thousands of unburied bodies were found along with 60,000 starving prisoners.

He left the RAF in 1946 and worked as a TV engineer before becoming a black cab driver in 1965.

When aged 82, three yobs tried to rob him of his taxi takings at gunpoint – but he refused to let go of the money and eventually they gave up.

Next day the dad-of-two was back at work and continued to drive cabs in London’s East End until retiring at 88.

Family solicitor Emma Jones, of Leigh Day, said the treatment and care Mr Gold received were “below standard” and there were “serious issues” over medical records and missing notes.

After the injury to Mr Gold’s knee, his family say he was discharged without proper treatment, leading to him being readmitted within 24 hours.

They also claim his immobility put him at greater risk of pneumonia, yet allege staff failed to minimise the risk by helping him to sit in a chair at least once a day in subsequent hospital stays.

When he did develop pneumonia in his third hospital stay, the family say it went unnoticed and he was discharged. By the time he was readmitted, two days later, he had developed sepsis.

He recovered but suffered repeated bouts of pneumonia till it killed him.

Mum-of-two Roberta, of Brentwood, Essex, said: “Dad would have done anything for anybody and for him to be treated like this by the NHS, which failed him so badly, has been heartbreaking.”

A trust spokesman said: “We can confirm that the settlement of a claim brought by Mr Gold’s family has been agreed between the parties.

“The terms of the settlement are confidential to the parties and it would be inappropriate to comment in detail.

“We would like to express our sincere sympathy to Mr Gold’s family. The death of a loved one is a cause of great sadness in any circumstance.”