A 66-year-old man told his wife that he feared hospital staff were 'trying to kill him ' a day before they put him on a 'do not resuscitate ' notice without the consent of his family , an inquest has heard . Michael Richardson , from Great Yarmouth , Norfolk , died at James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston-on-Sea , Norfolk , after medics 'played God ' with his life , his widow said . The great-grandfather , who died in October 2013 , had been ill for several years with a lung condition which caused his breathing to stop but had been given more than a year to live . Heartbroken : Michael Richardson died at James Paget University Hospital after medics 'played God ' with his life , his widow , Janet ( pictured with her late husband ) said told an inquest today . Right , Mr Richardson . Giving evidence at an inquest , his widow , Janet , said her husband had tried to discharge himself the day before his death after becoming concerned about the levels of oxygen he was being given . Speaking at the inquest in Norfolk , she said : 'He said , `` I ca n't breathe , take me home - I ca n't stand it any more . They 're trying to kill me '' . ' I said , `` I love you '' , and then he said he loved me too . That was the last time I saw him alive . ' I wish I 'd bundled him up and taken him home because at least if he was going to die , he was going to die with some dignity . ' The 66-year-old accused medics of playing God with his life after discovering a do not resuscitate ( DNR ) notice had been placed on him without the consent of the family . The inquest heard the family , who had recently moved to Norfolk from Deal , Kent , only learned of the notice when they picked up Mr Richardson 's death certificate from the hospital four days after he died . Janet Richardson ( centre , with a photo of Mr Richardson ) with daughters Jocelin Taylor ( left ) and Antonia Richardson ( right ) . The widow claimed she only learned of the DNR order four days after her husband 's death . Asked by assistant coroner David Osborne if she had given consent for this , Mrs Richardson said : 'No , nothing at all . ' She added : ' I visited the hospital twice a day . There would have been loads of opportunities for staff to talk to me . If he had been asked about the DNR notice , he would have said no , I know that . 'He used to say , `` some life is better than no life , you 're a long time dead '' . He was well aware he would die at some point , just not that quickly . ' Mr Richardson , who was born in Islington , London , was diagnosed with the lung-scarring condition pulmonary fibrosis in 2008 and received oxygen therapy at home . On October 24 2013 , his condition deteriorated and his family called an ambulance which took him to the hospital . Mrs Richardson said he had been moved between various wards and when she visited him he 'seemed worse than when he went in ' . Although his medical notes correctly identified pulmonary fibrosis as his main condition , he was initially treated for emphysema , Mrs Richardson said . When she pointed this out , doctors increased his oxygen levels . She also described how her husband had been left to lie on soiled sheets and was not being regularly washed . Care : Mrs Richardson accused medics at James Paget University Hospital of playing God with his life after discovering a do not resuscitate ( DNR ) notice had been placed on him without the consent of the family . Nurse Louise Curtis described how staff had initially rushed to resuscitate Mr Richardson after an emergency alarm was activated . But as they tried to save his life , a colleague checked his notes and pointed out the DNR notice so they stopped these efforts . She added that staffing levels that day had been 'unusually low ' with herself and two agency nurses responsible for 27 patients . Normally the ward would have been staffed by four or five nurses .
Mrs Richardson , 66 , died at James Paget University Hospital in 2013 . He had been ill for five years but had been given more than a year to live . He tried to discharge himself day before his death , his widow told inquest . She said he 'd raised concerns over amount of oxygen he was being given . Four days after his death , Michael Richardson found out about DNR notice . She said family had not consented and accused medics of playing God . Nurse on-duty at the time today described staff levels as 'unusually low '