A DISTRICT nurse referred a vulnerable pensioner to social services barely an hour before the 79-year-old died in a house fire.

The woman, who lived on her own in Sparch Avenue, Wolstanton, died on Tuesday afternoon after falling asleep while smoking.

No working smoke alarms had been fitted at the property, and the woman had never been referred to Staffordshire Fire and Rescue for a home visit, despite being highly vulnerable.

But it has emerged that on the day of the tragedy steps were being taken to ensure the pensioner received additional help.

Police have not yet formally identified the deceased, but neighbours have named her as Beryl Wain.

A spokesman for Staffordshire County Council said social workers had not had any contact with Mrs Wain since 2007, when they supplied her with a perching stool. But on the day of the fire, Mrs Wain's GP made a referral to North Staffordshire Community Healthcare, and within 30 minutes a district nurse went to visit her.

The nurse recognised a comprehensive joint assessment with social services was necessary, and made a referral. Less than an hour later a community matron arrived only to discover the house was on fire.

Nichola Humphreys, adult services manager at North Staffordshire Community Healthcare, said: "All our community nursing staff are trained to identify those at risk, including vulnerable adults, and make any necessary referrals to other organisations.

"Tragically, in this case, despite the rapid response to the GP referrals from our district nursing and community matron services, the fire occurred before any subsequent assessments and risk reduction work could be carried out."

Peter Dartford, chief fire officer at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue, was shocked that Mrs Wain did not have any working smoke alarms.

He said: "We offer everyone in the county a free home fire risk check which includes the fitting of free smoke alarms. It's outrageous no-one had informed us about this lady – she had no protection from fire."

An investigation has established the incident was caused accidentally by a cigarette.

Mrs Wain is the second pensioner to die in a house fire in Staffordshire this month, following the death of 65-year-old Gillian Bromley at her home in South Street, Stafford on New Year's Day.

To book a free Home Fire Risk Check call 0800 0241 999.