A relieved dad is finally back in Devon after having to wait 11 days for his travel insurance company to arrange for him to fly home from Portugal after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.
Christopher Taylor, of Woodbury, near Exeter, was only a few days into his festive break when he collapsed during a walk on Christmas Day with family. The 62-year-old went to bed on his return, insisting he would be okay, but was found the following morning virtually paralysed with slurred speech by his brother George.
The fear was he had suffered a stroke. Christopher – an environmental consultant who previously worked in the travel industry – was taken to Faro general hospital and then Hospital Lusiadas Albufeira, a private hospital, for further tests.
On December 28, Christopher and his family were told the devastating news that he had a large tumour which was aggressive and had led to a secondary tumour. A request was initiated for Christopher to be repatriated to the UK to be cared for close to home at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (RD&E).
Despite having taken out travel insurance with provider Staysure, his family claim it has been a ‘constant daily battle’ to receive the assistance required for his safe return home. Last Saturday, January 4, while waiting for news of a flight back home, Christopher’s condition suddenly declined.
He was transferred back to Faro general hospital and his family were warned he may not have much time left. Thankfully, Christopher stabilised overnight and his family continued to plead with Staysure to repatriate him.
Christopher Taylor has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour while on holiday in Portugal
(Image: Venetia Norrington Photography)
Their wish finally came true this Monday, January 6, when he flew from Faro Airport to Bristol Airport, accompanied by George, and was then taken by ambulance to the RD&E. It wasn’t until 1am the following day that a bed became available for him.
Christopher’s family have thanked all those who have helped with his medical care and repatrician, but remain highly critical of Staysure. They claim that despite calling its emergency helpline on Boxing Day, it wasn’t until days later that help was provided.
Staysure previously told DevonLive that although the incident was raised with its emergency assistance company on December 26, it was only notified about the situation on January 2, when his brother George contacted its CEO directly in desperation. It has confirmed a full investigation has been launched into the incident.
Christopher’s other brother Michael, who flew out to Portugal last Sunday, has provided an update on Christopher’s condition and said that following the results of further scans, a treatment plan will be devised.
Michael said: “Christopher is okay but had he come back sooner he would not have lost 20kgs. It felt like the hospital was being instructed to give him palliative care.
“Since being at the RD&E, it is the first time since he became poorly that I have seen him get out of bed and go to the toilet so there is a difference already.
“As far as I’m concerned, Staysure has been diabolical. Insurance companies are supposed to safeguard you when you’re abroad but the policy Christopher had was not worth the paper it was written on.
“Everything Staysure told us was a broken promise from day one, whether it be a promise of a call back within an hour or communicating with us to advise what was going on. We had to do all the chasing and liaising. It felt like they just wanted to leave him in Portugal to die.”
Christopher’s family have condemned Staysure for its alleged lack of organisational and communication skills with Christopher’s repatriation.
They said: “The schedule for the day Christopher was to be flown home was sent to George at 8am in the morning, telling him that he had to be at the hospital by 9.45am. George lives more than 30 minutes away from Faro Airport so it left it very late for him to get there.
Christopher Taylor, left, with brothers Michael, middle, and George, right, at Michael’s wedding on July 4, 2024
(Image: Venetia Norrington Photography)
“The ambulance, which was supposed to pick Christopher up from Faro hospital, went to Hospital Lusiadas in Albufeira instead so they were late picking him up. The flight was then delayed which caused Christopher considerable anxiety in his fragile condition.
“Christopher was flown to Bristol airport rather than Exeter Airport which had been previously agreed to minimise travel by land ambulance due to his condition. We were told that because of the head wind and a stop at Santander for refuelling, they had no choice as Exeter airport would be closed.
“The RD&E called us to ask if we knew when Christopher was arriving as they had no communication from Staysure. Michael spent considerable time on the telephone to try and establish if a bed was available to which we were advised by Staysure it had all been agreed with the hospital.
“When Christopher arrived at the hospital after an 11-hour journey, he had to wait until almost 1am before a bed was made available.”
So far, George says has paid approximately £6,000 in costs for Christopher, and Michael has paid for flights to and from Portugal after his repatriation was delayed and his condition worsened.
Christopher’s family claim he had no pre-existing health conditions until December 6 when he woke up and the right side of his face was frozen. He went to the RD&E and following some tests was diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes temporary weakness or lack of movement affecting one side of the face.
Christopher continued to suffer with a headache and is then said to have contacted his GP to seek advice about his symptoms and check he would be okay to fly.
George said: “He was told it would be okay for him to travel. He also contacted Staysure, who upped his premium, but said it was okay to travel. It now appears he was misdiagnosed and had a tumour.
“If Christopher was advised he was okay to fly, even though he reported the headache to the hospital and it was misdiagnosed as Bell Palsy, how would anyone ever be able to have travel insurance?”
In response to the family’s criticisms, Staysure says Christopher’s insurance policy should have been declared ‘void’ when the claim was made because it was not made aware of ‘certain serious pre-existing medical conditions’. However, it has not provided further details of what the alleged conditions are.
His family claim he does not have any other than what was disclosed before he travelled. Staysure has confirmed it will cover the full cost of Christopher’s medical care abroad and repatriation back to the UK, and that a full investigation has been launched into the wait he had.
A spokesperson from Staysure said: “We extend our sincerest sympathies for the distress and inconvenience that Mr Taylor has suffered during his time abroad. When taking out travel insurance, the policyholder is required to disclose all pre-existing medical conditions.
“Upon review of Mr Taylor’s medical records, it was discovered that we had not been made aware of certain serious pre-existing medical conditions, which would have voided any claim for repatriation under the terms of a travel insurance policy.
“However, we recognise that the delay caused by our emergency assistance partner fell below the standards we expect for our customers, and as soon as our team became aware of the situation on January 2, we moved swiftly to arrange the repatriation. We are fully investigating why this situation was not escalated to us by our emergency assistance partner earlier and we are committed to addressing the failings in this process to prevent this in the future.
“Given the seriousness of Mr Taylor’s medical condition and the distress being suffered, despite the policy terms being voided, we made the decision to cover the full cost of his medical care and repatriation back to the UK. This process is highly complex and requires significant coordination across many parties, including securing a specialist air ambulance, suitable medical escorts, and having an NHS hospital bed available in the UK.
“Throughout this whole process, our primary focus has been on the care and welfare of Mr Taylor, and we are pleased to say that he was safely returned to a hospital in the UK on January 6. Once again, we regret any additional or unnecessary distress Mr Taylor suffered and are fully investigating this process, and we would like to assure all our customers that we remain fully committed to always delivering high standards of customer care.”
Christopher’s family say they are grateful for all the help they have received in ensuring his safe return back to the UK and are anxiously awaiting further health updates.
They said: “If it wasn’t for George and Michael, we think we would still be waiting for Christopher’s repatriation to the UK by Staysure. There is a whole group of people who have supported us throughout this terrible ordeal and we can never thank them enough for each and every small part played in bringing Christopher home.
“They include the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in Portugal, the team at Hospital Lusiadas in Albufeira, the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Capital Air Ambulance, Exmouth and Exeter East MP David Reed, Isca Medical Centre, Exeter, friends and family, Anita Merritt at DevonLive and syndicate papers.”