Queen Elizabeth Hospital training changed following patient's death

Nurse training at Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital is being reformed following the death of an elderly Hunstanton man, a court heard.

A narrative verdict was recorded into the death of Derek Ward, 83, during an inquest in Lynn on Friday.

Area coroner Yvonne Blake said a fall Mr Ward had suffered at the QEH, and a second one at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge had not directly contributed to his death.

But lead cancer nurse and matron Dawn Slack told the hearing weekly training sessions had been introduced as a direct result of his death.

Such sessions cover haematological conditions and neurobiology. In addition to theses sessions, a daily matron meeting is conducted to check whether any falls have taken place in the hospital and to go through actions taken as a consequence.

Derek Ward was admitted to the QEH in June 2017 after previously being given chemotherapy treatment. He was treated on the basis of sepsis.

Mr Ward fell in a Shouldham ward bathroom on June 14 after being told to ring the alarm in case of an emergency.

Mrs Slack told the court a housekeeper found Mr Ward had been able to use a handle to push himself into a sitting position.

However, a doctor working on the ward was not told of the fall until the following day. Staff policy states she should have been told within four hours.

Mrs Slack stated the doctor had been put in “an impossible position.”

She added: “Since this incident occurred, a lot of things have changed in the trust. We now expect staff to contact a matron on the ward if there is a fall and to ensure all the data is done and the family are aware.”

Mrs Blake said Mr Ward died of aspiration pneumonia, a spontaneous haemorrhage and splenic laceration, which caused him to fall at the QEH. He then had a second fall when transferred to Addenbrooke’s.

The court heard his death was unrelated to the falls, and QEH staff were entitled to treat him for sepsis when he was admitted.