Family's anger at hospital over death of gran, 92

The family of a 92-year-old woman who hospital staff failed to care for properly before she died said they believe she would have been safer at home.

Margaret Clement, from Burnley, suffered a massive gastrointestinal bleed while she was at Pendle Community Hospital, Nelson, Lancashire, but, in the days before her death, nurses failed to alert doctors to her worsening condition.

Retired weaver Mrs Clement, known as Peggy, was taken into hospital after a fall in May 2022, and, after an operation to reduce the risk of blood clots, was given anticoagulants.

Mrs Clement then was moved to Pendle Community Hospital on 10 June where she suffered significant internal bleeding and was transferred to the Royal Blackburn on 14 June.

She died of a stroke the following day during an endoscopy to find the cause of the blood loss.

An inquest at Preston Coroner’s Court heard nursing records on the Pendle Community Hospital’s Reedyford ward were inadequate.

Area coroner for Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen, Chris Long, said he heard evidence of medication being incorrectly recorded and a failure to record that an urgent review was needed.

He added that nursing handovers were "inadequate and did not ensure appropriate risks were managed and prioritised" and nursing staff "failed to seek urgent clinical assistance" when Mrs Clement suffered heavy bleeding.

Doctors also failed to prioritise their work to make sure they took care of the most urgent needs, the coroner found.

Chris Long said that there could be further deaths at the hospital if it does not improve its care.

Mrs Clement’s granddaughter, Rebecca Sutton, said: "We trusted a lot in the medical professionals that were taking care of gran.

"In a lot of ways, we were wrong to, and I believe if we had been more vocal gran could be here now. We went quiet because we were doubting whether we should say or do something."

Ms Sutton added that her grandmother "would have been safer at home than she was in hospital because if she had started bleeding in our care, we would have taken her to A&E."

Executive medial director at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, Jawad Husain, said the care Mrs Clement received "fell short of our standards and expectations."

He added: "In response to the incidents surrounding Mrs Clement's death, the trust implemented two comprehensive action plans, one of which was tailored specifically for the ward Mrs Clement was on. 

"Valuable lessons have been learned from this experience by the ward team and the wider Trust. As a result, great efforts have been made to enhance the response when patients are deteriorating, focusing on improved communication and including a new 24/7 hotline for those who have concerns. 

"This enables families to voice their worries better and seek an urgent, independent review of their loved one."