Wayne Clarke died weeks after having gastric bypass surgery from the NHS12:54, 21 May 2026A 'gentle giant' died in agony just weeks after undergoing NHS weight loss surgery. Wayne Clarke, 32, died following a gastric bypass at Sunderland Royal Hospital - with his heartbroken family claiming the procedure saw him suffer from a fatal stomach "leak".‌The lorry driver, from Seaham in County Durham, had battled with obesity and type two diabetes before going under the knife on December 3 last year. However, his loved ones say his condition dramatically worsened after the operation and he endured "undignified and demeaning" care, including, they say, being left in his own faeces.‌Despite undergoing multiple surgeries to repair the leak in his stomach, Wayne's health deteriorated rapidly, and he passed away on January 7. His family are now demanding answers, saying they have are utterly devastated by his death.‌The NHS website lists stomach leaking as a potential complication following weight loss surgery, reports Chronicle Live. It states: "In the days or weeks after a gastric bypass, there's a small chance that food could leak out of your abdomen. This can cause a serious infection inside your stomach."Typical fixes involve surgery, endoscopic procedures, and supportive care (like antibiotics and feeding tubes). The exact treatment depends on the size of the leak and how ill the patient is.‌His sister Mel said: "I don't know how we will get over this as a family. My mam and dad are fading away, and our daughter absolutely adored her Uncle Wayne. She is only nine and it has been so hard to explain this to her."She said: "The fact that Wayne suffered so much is something that I'll never forget, and we do want accountability for that. While he was in hospital, there were so many really upsetting incidents, and it's so hard to live with knowing Wayne was treated so poorly."Mel claims her brother "wasn't taken seriously" when he felt like he was "dying" and the family's concerns were dismissed. She said: "There was one absolutely awful instance where they accused him of recording them on his phone.‌"Wayne was devastated by how they spoke to him and treated him about this. It was a very distressing situation when Wayne was declining really quickly, and raised a lot of questions."Mel's husband, Stu, claimed the care Wayne received in intensive care lacked "any compassion or empathy". He said: "The way they spoke to Wayne, even from what we saw ourselves, was unacceptable. Mel and I both work in care, and we were shocked at what we saw."‌Stu claims that, having reviewed Wayne's medical records, there was an occasion when the 32 year old was supposedly "rude" to staff after being left alone for at least half an hour in his own faeces. He added: "This was a young man who was in pain, desperate because he couldn't do anything for himself and who was declining fast – and all they can say is that he shouldn't have spoken to them as he did?"The family also claimed they were "robbed of precious hours" with Wayne before he passed away. Mel said: "[The staff] knew during the night he had got so much worse, and when your son or brother is in intensive care, you don't sleep properly anyway with the trauma and worry. We would've been there instantly if we had known anything had changed."‌Lawyers have now lodged a 26-point complaint over his care. Rebecca Hall, of Slater and Gordon, who is representing the family, said: "Wayne hoped this surgery would be life-enhancing and transformative, but the tragedy that ensued has rightly caused his family to ask questions about what went wrong."Too often, we hear of families who are not listened to and feel dismissed by medics, and that is absolutely unacceptable. The way Wayne was treated only compounds his family's devastation."A South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: "We send our sincere condolences to Mr Clark's family following their loss. We have shared an in-depth response with them to help answer the questions they have around his surgery, the complications he suffered and his time in hospital.Article continues below"An inquest will now be held into his death and we will support the coroner fully in this process." The inquest into Wayne's death is expected to take place later this year.