A Birmingham family has said they achieved 'justice' for their 85-year-old mother who went to hospital with a swollen foot but never came home. Mary Breen, from Erdington, died on November 2 last year after falling during treatment at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield.
Mrs Breen was admitted with cellulitis but suffered a fractured femur in a ward fall that went undetected for several days. She was transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for successful surgery but later tested positive for Covid. Her condition deteriorated into sepsis, and she died from hospital-acquired pneumonia caused by Covid and the fractured femur, assistant coroner Ian Dreelan concluded.
After the inquest, daughter Lorraine Tabb said: 'We've got justice for our mum. My mum couldn't speak, we were her voice.' University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust offered sincere condolences and said they remain committed to addressing the family's ongoing concerns.
The coroner attributed her death to natural causes contributed to by injuries from the fall. The family hopes their experience will lead to improvements in patient safety.
