Coroner criticises NHS after death of patient with broken neck who was shunted between hospitals three times

An 88-year-old woman with a broken neck died after being transferred three times between two hospitals in the space of just 48 hours, The Independent has reveal.

The death of Jean Waghorn, who died after contracting pneumonia in hospital, sparked criticism from a coroner who said the NHS trust had ignored earlier warnings over moving patients between hospitals. Senior coroner Veronica Deeley had issued two official alerts to Brighton and Sussex Hospitals Trust last year after the deaths of frail elderly patients who were wrongly shuttled between hospitals.

But despite this, in June this year Ms Waghorn, who broke her neck after falling at home, was repeatedly transferred between the Princess Royal Hospital in Sussex and Brighton’s Royal Sussex County Hospital. She caught pneumonia and died two days later.

The hospital, which is rated good by the CQC, has now apologised and said it has learned lessons from the case. A spokesperson said it did take action following the previous warnings and added that work was ongoing to ensure the changes were consistently applied.

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Source: The Independent, 17 December 2019