Pensioner died after hospital's 'sub-optimal' care

A 97-year-old woman died after receiving "sub-optimal care" at a hospital, a coroner found.

June Violet Findlay fell at home, where she lived with assistance from carers and family, on 23 October 2024 and was taken to Frimley Park Hospital in Frimley by ambulance.

She had surgery on her hip and her wrist was placed in a cast but before she was transferred to Heathlands rehabilitation unit in Bracknell, Berkshire, on 6 November, she lost at least 5.3kg (0.8 stone). She died on 11 December at Thames Hospice in Maidenhead.

A Frimley Health NHS Trust spokesperson said in a statement it is "reviewing what further improvements are needed to support safe, high quality care".

Robert Simpson, Berkshire's assistant coroner, said he was worried about "inconsistent" documentation at the hospital when Mrs Findlay "had been assessed as being at high risk of malnutrition shortly after her admission".

He added some records were "absent or largely incomplete" and that ward staff "did not properly follow [the] dietician's advice or care plans."

Mr Simpson said: "No evidence was forthcoming from the trust at inquest that these shortcomings at Frimley Park Hospital had been acted upon despite the court hearing that 100% of the ward staff had received [training] and records were audited on a monthly basis."

He concluded Mrs Findlay died as a result of "natural causes contributed to by an accidental fall and on a background of sub-optimal care in hospital".

In a statement, the NHS spokesperson said it had received the coroner's report and will send a full response.

"We are a learning organisation and take concerns raised seriously. We are also reviewing what further improvements are needed to support safe, high quality care," they added.