'My mum didn't want to go into hospital, we talked her into going'

85-YEAR-OLD GRAN WENT IN WITH A SWOLLEN FOOT AND NEVER CAME OUT

- STEPHANIE BALLOO News Reporter

A GRANDMA who “didn’t want to go to hospital” for a foot problem died after falling in A&E and catching pneumonia while being treated, an inquest heard.

“Independent” Mary Breen, from Erdington, suffered a fractured femur in the fall at Good Hope Hospital's emergency department last October. But the injury was not detected for several days.

The 85-year-old had been encouraged by her family to seek medical help after three weeks of issues with a swollen foot, thought to have been cellulitis, the hearing was told. The avid Birmingham City fan lived independently in a flat with her dog until her admission.

Assistant coroner Ian Dreelan said there had been a “lack of professional curiosity” at the hospital as her pain went from zero to ten out of ten after the fall. But he told Birmingham Coroner’s Court the delay in finding the fracture did not contribute to her death.

Mrs Breen’s family said they would be pursuing an official complaint with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust over her treatment.

Her son, Mark, told the court: “We are devastated because my mum didn’t want to go into hospital, we talked her into going because we thought she would get the treatment she deserved.

“Our mum lived independently and was fully capable in life, she cared for herself, her flat and her dog. She loved her family and we regularly visited our mum. She did her own shopping with my brother Steven and enjoyed meals and walks with her family.