Neglect played a part in the deaths of two cancer patients who were overdosed with five times the norm of a toxic drug in errors by medics at a Birmingham hospital, a jury ruled.

Grieving relatives of father-of-three Paul Richards, aged 35, from Sutton Coldfield, and Baljit Singh Sunner, 36, from Stechford, who died within hours of conventional Amphotericin overdose at Heartlands Hospital said serious questions now need to be asked by the Department of Health.

A jury of seven at Birmingham coroner’s court concluded the deaths in July 2007 were accidental to which neglect contributed. They also said gross failures took place by medical staff not getting clarification on drug and dosage, by not providing relevant information on prescription and observation charts, plus a lack of training leading to a failure to assess the correct information from an internet drugs directory.

The jury added that Heart of England Foundation Trust failed to provide protocols on the administration of drugs.

Although Mr Richards, an IT consultant of Signal Hayes Road, Walmley, was battling Burkitt’s lymphoma, while shop worker Mr Sunner, of Station Road, Stechford, was suffering from leukaemia, the court was told cancer did not play a part in the deaths of either man.

Families solicitor Phil Barnes, from Anthony Collins law firm, said relatives felt let down by the NHS.

“Changes have come too late for Paul and Baljit’s families,” said Mr Barnes. “They think the National Patient Safety Agency has been slow to react to incidents in America and Canada and warn the NHS of risks associated with prescribing Amphotericin. Serious questions must now be asked of the Department of Health and NPSA and at all levels in the NHS why there was a delay in dealing with these risks.”

Confusion over drug Amphotericin was created because the original “conventional” form, branded Fungizone, has a dose of one milligram per kg of patient’s weight, but modern forms, Ambizone and Abelcet, have doses of three and five milligrams per kg.

New junior doctor, Dr Kiran Tawana, prescribed the generic name of Amphotericin for five milligrams after referring to a problematic internet version of a medicines manual that took her to a page for Abelcet.

But nurses Vongai Gondo and Catherine Kunatsa then made it up as the conventional form without checking the dose as they were accustomed to ward doctors writing Amphotericin for the original form. The overdose, which has no antidote, caused the two patients to go into shock and they suffered organ failure.

Dr Tawana, who now works at Edgbaston’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and the two nurses all refused to answer questions, invoking a rule that states they have the right to do this if they believe it will incriminate them in a future court case.