FEARS were raised that future deaths could occur unless action is taken after a woman from Clacton died following a fall at a hospital.

Doris Smith, 74, died five days after suffering a head injury at a mental health unit in Chelmsford on October 14, 2020.

A five-day jury inquest was held at Chelmsford Coroner's Court in January, which delivered a narrative conclusion with the main medical cause of death being listed as head injury.

A Prevention of Future Deaths Report by coroner Sonia Hayes said the death could have been avoided if Mrs Smith was given increased monitoring.

It also highlighted a risk assessment that took 12 days to complete should have been done within 24 hours of her admission.

The coroner said: “Had Mrs Smith been observed and monitored as she should have been, the fall would either have been avoided or there would have been a staff member present to break her fall.

“Had the fall been broken, it is likely that Mrs Smith would have avoided injury, or her injuries would have been less severe.

“The fall caused her to suffer a traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage, which led to her death.

“In addition, the falls risk assessment and the level of observations were inadequate.”

She added that there was a risk that future deaths would occur unless action is taken.

The incident happened on the Ruby Ward, part of the Crystal Centre on the Broomfield Hospital site.

A spokesperson for Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), said the organisation has invested £40million into improvements in inpatient and community services.

It added that measures to prevent and manage falls include technology on inpatient wards to monitor patient safety and alert staff to behaviour that presents a risk to safety.

He added: “Our thoughts and condolences remain with Doris’ loved ones following their loss.

“Since this very sad incident, we have put a number of measures in place to significantly reduce the risk of people experiencing falls on our wards and monitor the safety of patients who have experienced a fall or are at increased risk of doing so."