A BARROW dad was found unresponsive at his home days after visiting hospital with health concerns, an inquest heard.

Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard Nathan Moscrop was pronounced dead at his home in Gloucester Street.

The 30-year-old, who was from Barrow, died on April 7, 2021.

He was found unresponsive by his mum after he failed to return her messages from the night before, prompting her to visit his home.

He was pronounced dead by paramedics at 8.02pm.

Mr Moscrop was seen by the Cumbria Health On Call (CHoC) team at Furness General Hospital five days before his death after complaining of back pain and shortness of breath.

Anna Pierce, a nurse practitioner working for CHoC, led a consultation with Mr Moscrop and said he ‘appeared well’ on first impression but was experiencing pain when sitting.

She told the court his breathing pattern was in the normal scope and his breathlessness were part of long-standing symptoms he had experienced.

Ms Pearce told the court she believed Mr Moscrop's back pain was musculoskeletal in nature.

He told Ms Pearce he had taken a lot of paracetamol and she was concerned he may suffer an overdose.

Ms Pearce told the court that she did not want to give Mr Moscrop any more paracetamol and prescribed him codeine, with the plan that he would follow up with the GP.

He was told if he experienced new or worsening symptoms to contact CHoC.

After the consultation, Ms Pearce felt concerned they hadn’t done any bloodwork and asked Mr Moscrop the following day to return to the hospital to check for signs of toxicity or infection.

He left the hospital before the results of his bloodwork could be communicated, the court heard, which came back negative for toxicity.

The family raised concerns in court that Mr Moscrop was presenting lethargy and shoulder pain which were classic symptoms of heart failure, and questioned why they were not investigated.

Dr Roche, a locum consultant in emergency medicine at Furness General Hospital, told the court Mr Moscrop’s test results were on the edge of normality and would only require follow-ups by the primary care or gastroenterology team.

Coroner Craig Smith said there were no gross failings by medical professionals and they had no contributory role in Mr Moscrop’s death.

The court heard he suffered with a number of health issues including endocarditis and ulcerative colitis.

At the age of 24, Mr Moscrop was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. He was treated for this with various medications including steroids and immunosuppressants.

Mr Moscrop had undergone mitral valve repair - an operation to make the flaps of the mitral valve stay closer together.

Mr Moscrop's sister Nicola told the court that his condition affected her brother’s quality of life negatively.

The court heard Mr Moscrop became ‘somewhat reclusive’ following heart surgery due to his anxiety.

In the days leading to his death, he complained of serious back pain in which he was unable to walk up the stairs and struggled to get up, the court was told.

Mr Moscrop's family described him as a ‘character’ who, growing up, loved to play sports and be outside. He was popular with his peers and had a clear passion for music.

He was funny and had a dry sense of humour, his family said, and enjoyed walks in the Lakes and loved his daughter.

A toxicology report revealed the presence of a number of substances in Nathan’s system at the time of his death, including lansoprazole, loperamide, mirtazapine, sertraline, tramadol, paracetamol, pregabalin, codeine, morphine, hydrocodone and others.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Moscrop’s heart was significantly enlarged and his lungs showed pulmonary edema and bronchopneumonia.

A cause of death was given to the court as morbid obesity, cardiomegaly, bronchopneumonia and mitral valve disease and drug toxicity.

Mr Smith concluded a narrative conclusion.