THE death of a woman from Caerphilly who died after a fall in hospital was an accident, an inquest has concluded.

Brenda Elizabeth Gimblett, 88, of Ffordd Y Maes, Caerphilly, died on Monday, June 3, after falling in her room in the Penallta Ward at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr hospital, Hengoed.

An inquest into her death was held at Newport Coroners Court on Thursday.

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The court heard Mrs Gimblett had multiple sclerosis and a history of confusion resulting in regular falls, but risk assessments and care plans were not filled out in enough detail to alert hospital staff to the seriousness of her condition.

Mrs Gimblett had been transferred to the hospital after spending three months at the Royal Gwent Hospital, following a fall at home in March.

After being transferred to Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr on Saturday, May 18, where hospital staff agreed she would be more suited, Mrs Gimblett fell while alone in her room at around 6.20pm on Monday, May 27.

A trainee GP who was on shift at the time said he arrived at the scene at 6.44pm, and found Mrs Gimblett had suffered a head injury. She was taken back to the Royal Gwent Hospital, where she died on Monday, June 3.

Sharon Cook, who works with community teams for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, conducted an internal investigation into the events leading to Mrs Gimblett’s death, which found she was known to be at risk of falling, but her care plans were not filled in with sufficient detail to alert nurses to the risks.

A spokesman for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mrs Gimblett. The health board has undertaken a detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding her fall. The findings of this investigation have been shared with the family and the coroner, together with detailed assurance around learning and actions taken with regard to falls prevention.”

Sarah McGovern, deputy manager for the Penallta Ward at Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr, accepted the results of the findings and said staff were receiving further training. She added that a high workload and the dependency of patients meant it can be difficult to complete paperwork in detail.

Senior coroner for Gwent, Caroline Saunders, recorded an accidental death.