Coroner retires to consider conclusion at inquest into death of Chesterfield taxi driver

David Stuart Robinson, 57, of Old Road, suffered a heart attack and died in Portugal - days after he visited his doctor with concerns and was allegedly told to 'go away and enjoy your holiday'.

The taxi driver - who had a family history of heart problems - passed away in a Portuguese hospital in 2014 after undergoing a heart bypass.

During Mr Robinson's inquest at Chesterfield coroners' court on Monday, Dr Natasha Dhamija - a locum GP who saw him at Wheatbridge surgery on Wheatbridge Road, Chesterfield, before he flew to Portugal - said she did not think the symptoms he presented with were cardiac-caused.

She added that she did not recall a discussion about him going on holiday.

'He said he was always living the dream'

The inquest heard Mr Robinson and his wife, Joanne Salt-Robinson, flew to Portugal on Sunday, September 6, 2014.

Giving evidence, Ms Salt-Robinson said she accompanied her husband to the appointment with Dr Dhamija two days before they went to Portugal.

Ms Salt-Robinson told the court: "She (Dr Dhamija) asked him how he was feeling. He said he had a funny feeling in his head, really bad jaw pain and a strange sensation in his chest.

"She said she felt it might be anxiety. I disagreed - several of his relatives died of heart problems - and asked her if he could go for an ECG but she said that wasn't necessary.

"At the end of the appointment I asked her if we should go on holiday and she said 'he's fit to fly. Go away and enjoy your holiday, go away and relax - when you get back we'll do some blood tests'."

On the Tuesday, two days after they arrived in Portugal, the couple attended an English-speaking clinic as he 'wasn't himself', Ms Salt-Robinson said.

She added: "I said 'I think he's having a heart attack' and the doctor said 'I think you're right, he needs to go to hospital' - so we got straight into a taxi."

Mr Robinson sadly died in a hospital in Faro on Monday, September 8, 2014, four days after he underwent a heart bypass.

Ms Salt-Robinson said she was told the tragic news by a doctor over the phone.

"They said he'd been laughing and joking one minute and the next minute he went into cardiac arrest and that they'd tried to resuscitate him for 40 minutes but couldn't," she added.

Paying tribute to her late husband, Ms Salt-Robinson said: "He smiled constantly - he loved life.

"He said he was always living the dream.

"He wasn't anxious about anything."

GP gives evidence

Giving evidence, Dr Dhamija told the inquest: "I didn't have a diagnosis to give to Mr Robinson (at the end of the appointment). At no point did I think it was a cardiac cause because of the symptoms he'd presented with - I felt the absence of chest pain was important."

Coroner Kathryn Hayes asked Dr Dhamija: "Was there a discussion about whether Mr Robinson was fit to fly? Can you recall any discussion about him going on holiday?"

Dr Dhamija replied: "No."

She added that she did not recall Ms Salt-Robinson being at the appointment.

The inquest has been adjourned and Ms Hayes will deliver her conclusion on a date yet to be fixed.