Cause of death revealed for veteran actor Tony Mathews

An inquest into the death of veteran actor Tony Mathews has concluded that the 81-year-old died because his heart could not pump enough blood around his body.

Lawyers representing Mr Mathews' relatives had argued there had been a series of medical errors following an operation at Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

The coroner for North East Kent found that there had been sufficient monitoring of Chichester-born Mr Mathews whilst he was a patient but raised a concern about the hospital's record keeping.

A spokesperson for East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust said it would "carefully review the coroner's findings to identify any further learning opportunities in addition to the changes we have already put in place".

Mr Mathews appeared in numerous TV shows during his two-decade career including The Bill and Inspector Morse. The actor was living in Ramsgate at the time of his death.

He was a patient at the hospital's Spencer Wing for private patients who pay for medical procedures.

He was admitted in December 2023 to reverse a stoma following "life-saving" surgery eight months earlier.

In the days after the operation, Mr Mathews' condition deteriorated and he was resuscitated through blood transfusions.

The coroner said a doctor's decision to resume Mr Mathew's blood thinning medication likely contributed to internal bleeding after the surgery.

Coroner Sarah Clarke said: "Had Apixaban not been restarted we would have been having a very different conversation."

"My concern is that there was no documentation of the rationale for this decision being made."

Lawyers representing the Mathews family said they were still exploring a civil compensation claim against the hospital.

Leigh Day solicitor Frankie Rhodes said: "It's ultimately about trying to find some accountability, to seek answers, to get justice not only for this family but actually for others and to try and prevent any mistakes happening again."

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Mathew's son Kent paid tribute to his father.

"My dad Tony Mathews was a loving father, a talented actor and painter."

He added: "We now have some closure, which is what we hoped for. Rest in peace dad."

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