A hospital trust has been fined following the death of a pensioner given the wrong type of blood during an operation.

Lilian Harrington, who was 93, died seven hours after the transfusion at the Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in January 1999.

She had been given blood intended for another patient.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust admitted breaching health and safety law, and was fined �7,000.

It has since made sweeping changes to its policies and procedures.

Magistrate Derek Ireland said: "It is a great shame that it took the death of a lady who survived two world wars before this positive action was taken.

"This fine does not in any way reflect on the life of this patient."

Mrs Harrington, of Heathfield, East Sussex, had gone to hospital for surgery following a broken leg.

Her blood type was O positive, but she was given blood type A positive.

'Jumble of procedures'

Simon d'Albertanson, prosecuting, said that the trust had "a jumble of old and poorly understood" procedures for carrying out blood transfusions.

He said: "The trust should have had in place a safe system of work, and in this case they did not.

"The trust cannot rely on the expertise of staff in what can be trying circumstances.

"If the procedures had been up to date, Lilian Harrington may not have died."

The trust's blood laboratory was located at neighbouring Pembury hospital, and units of blood had to be transported to the Kent and Sussex hospital whenever needed.

In the case of Mrs Harrington, the court heard, the surgeon requested two units of blood for her, but no order was actually made.

A nursing auxilliary was sent to collect the blood, and found one marked with the same surname.

The court was told that two shifts of nurses failed to check the crucial details before the transfusion was finally administered some hours later.

Some 20 minutes into the operation, Mrs Harrington began to feel unwell. She died at 6am the following day.

David Wood, defending, said that considerable changes had been made since the incident.

"The trust has taken the lead in sharing the lessons learned with other hospitals. They have made a virtue from adversity."