A 66-YEAR-OLD woman suffered a fall in hospital months before dying, but it did not directly contribute to her death, a coroner has ruled.

Susan Harding, a retired nursery nurse from Mildmay Park, died in University College Hospital (UCH) in Euston on October 2 last year after prolonged issues with her heart and lungs.

A post-mortem found that Ms Harding died from multi-organ failure, secondary to sepsis.

She had been admitted to the intensive care unit in April but later suffered a fall while trying to get from a chair to her bed without assistance. She fractured her hip and the wound later became infected, a St Pancras inquest heard on Friday.

Elaine Thorpe, a matron at UCH who carried out the hospital investigation into the incident, told the hearing that Ms Harding was in a corner bed and a curtain surrounding another patient’s bed meant staff could not see her.

Ms Thorpe admitted that staff on the unit had not properly followed the latest risk assessment procedure but stressed that they talked every morning about care plans for the coming day for each patient. The hospital has installed three metre-long call bells to make sure patients can reach them.

Addressing Ms Harding’s family, Ms Thorpe said: “We really have learnt from that situation. We really are sorry.”

Assistant coroner Dr Richard Brittain recorded a narrative verdict, adding that Ms Harding died after her heart became infected. The accidental fall complicated her illness but did not directly contribute to her death, he added.

• Keywords
  DEATH, HOSPITALS, CORONERS COURTS
• Geographical keyword
  MILDMAY PARK
• Persons keyword
  Susan Harding