Sponsored by
Inquest into Kiveton man's death
A DEMENTIA sufferer was pushed and kicked by a fellow hospital patient he irritated – days before he died, an inquest heard.
John Holmes, 84, suffered a broken hip when he fell during the incident and then contracted the chest infection which led to his death while recovering from surgery.
Rotherham Hospital staff said Desmond Morton, 74, had shown no signs of aggression before he lashed out after Mr Holmes wandered over to his bed in the Fitzwilliam ward in May.
Staff nurse Elizabeth Ridge asked Mr Morton, who also suffered from dementia, if he had lashed out. He replied: “Yes I did, I pushed him and kicked him and if he comes near me again he'll get some more.”
Mr Morton’s mental health was checked when he was admitted in late April, Rotherham Coroners Court heard, and he was found to have a very poor short term memory.
Mr Holmes, of Essex Close, Kiveton Park, was admitted with a foot infection several weeks before.
He was susceptible to chest infections, and nurses treating him became aware that his Alzheimer’s became much worse when he was ill.
He had been threatened by Mr Morton already, but no action was taken. Ward manager Clare Lunn said a better procedure had been introduced since.
“We keep an eye on patients the best we can, and would love to be able to keep an eye on every single patient 24 hours a day,” she said.
“Mr Holmes would become muddled and confused. He was able to feed himself, and do certain things, but he needed help washing and when he was unwell he needed a lot more assistance.”
“He often tried to go through people’s cupboards, lockers and property. I don't recall John to ever be aggressive, if anything he was over-familiar with people, believing other patients and staff were friends or even relatives.”
Mrs Munn said the new policy of staff reporting threats through a chain of command ‘up to and beyond’ the chief executive had been successfully tried and tested.
She added: “If there is an incident, they have to tell someone else and I don't think it was in John's case.”
Pathologist Prof John Lee identified the cause of death as bronchial pneumonia, contracted as Mr Holmes recovered from his operation.
Granddaughters Rachel and Paula O’Flaherty heard that the attack on their granddad had been the true version of events, after being given conflicting accounts at the hospital.
They also said Mr Holmes was given no encouragement to get back on his feet after the op, even though a consultant had told them that he would die if he was not up and about within days.
Coroner Nicola Mundy recorded a narrative verdict, saying: “John Holmes suffered from a long-standing chest condition and ischaemic heart disease.”
“He died on 12th May from issues of immobility from a fractured hip sustained while on the ward at Rotherham Hospital, which rendered him more susceptible to that further chest infection.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Dinnington
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
