Shropshire pensioner died in nursing home bed rail tragedy

Phyllis Jones, was found lying face down with her neck resting over the grab rail, which she used to get in and out of bed without assistance, at Westlands Nursing Home, in Wem.

Coroner John Ellery said Mrs Jones had been found at 1.20am on February 27 last year.

He said she already had several existing health conditions, which could have contributed to her death.

Dr Nicholas Hunt, a Home Office pathologist, said Mrs Jones had diabetes, high blood pressure and cataracts. He said her death was caused by compression to the neck but he could not rule whether she had fallen or become dizzy prior to her death.

Gloria Gwilliam, assistant manager at Westlands, admitted checks had not been carried out on the grab rail. She also revealed Mrs Jones had also got her elbow caught in the same grab rail, also known as a bed lever, two weeks before she died. But she said the grab rail, which would have been installed by an external occupational therapist, had not come loose and had never been faulty.

She said: "There was nothing on the care plan about the bed lever.

"I am supposed to record on the moving and handling notes what equipment each person uses, but it's not on there."

Mrs Gwilliam said no one at the care home, run by Coverage Care, received any training on how to use or maintain the grab rails.

"We do look at how often a person falls and how we can alleviate some of those falls. She was never at risk of falling with the grab rail, so we would not routinely record it unless there was a risk."

The inquest continues.