Man, 57, died in hospital after being found ill in bed four days on from the death of his brother

A man with a learning disability died in hospital after being found ill in bed several days on from the death of his brother who had been caring for him.

Mark Winterbottom, 57, was the sole tenant of the flat where he had lived for 10 years and for much of that time, his younger brother Andrew had lived with him and supported him.

An inquest at Blackpool Town Hall into Mark’s death heard that on November 20, 2025, a concern was raised for the welfare of Andrew and Mark after they had not been heard from in recent days.

When the flat was accessed, Andrew was found dead and postmortem examination confirmed he had died approximately four days earlier due to the effects of heart disease.

Mark had remained in the flat alone and was found in bed, appearing to be dehydrated and very unwell.

He was transferred to Blackpool Victoria Hospital by ambulance and investigations confirmed he was in a critical condition and showing signs of a life-threatening infection.

His condition deteriorated and by around 3.30am on November 21, his prognosis was poor and the focus of his care was on maintaining his comfort until his death was confirmed at 7am that morning.

A postmortem confirmed Mark had died after developing severe bronchopneumonia.

The inquest heard that he was more susceptible to developing a serious respiratory infection due to immobility and his limited physiological reserves.

Blackpool and Fylde senior coroner Alan Wilson, returning a conclusion of natural causes, said that had his brother Andrew not died when he did, with his support, Mark would probably have received medical assessment and treatment which would have prevented his death.