Police investigated hospital over death of Stoke man Eric Lee
A HOSPITAL was investigated over the possible manslaughter of a pensioner, it has emerged.
Police were alerted after 79-year-old Eric Lee died at the University of North Staffordshire (UHNS).
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University Hospital of North Staffordshire
Mr Lee, of Fletcher Road, Stoke, died from 'sepsis' – a form of blood poisoning – after suffering bed sores which had become infected.
But his death was placed under scrutiny after it was revealed that nurses didn't always follow a treatment plan which involved regularly shifting Mr Lee's position in bed.
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At an inquest into the pensioner's death yesterday, North Staffordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner, Margaret Jones, said she asked a detective to examine the case to explore the possibility of manslaughter by gross neglect.
However, although a previous hearing discovered failings in the care Mr Lee had received, Detective Inspector Dave Giles found no grounds for a prosecution. The detective said: "The key offences I considered were manslaughter by gross negligence and another under the Mental Capacity Act.
"In terms of manslaughter, we have to establish that negligence was gross and in my opinion, those standards were not met.
"The injuries started when Mr Lee had an adequate mental capacity, so the other legislation is not applicable."
Mr Lee, who served with the Royal Signal Corps in Korea and later worked for Remploy in Fenton, had multiple illnesses, including cerebrovascular disease, anaemia, fibrosis, chronic liver disease and dementia. He was also an alcoholic.
The pensioner, described as a 'local character' was taken to hospital in December, 2009, after friends in the Gray's Corner pub raised concerns. He died on April 21, 2010. The inquest heard how Mr Lee was not assessed for pressure sores within six hours at A&E, as he should have been, and a sore was discovered by staff on a ward.
The victim was identified as having a high risk of developing the sores, and more developed, with one nurse counting eight.
Staff said the pensioner would often refuse to be moved, making it difficult for them to properly follow the treatment plan to regularly shift his position in bed.
The hearing was also told how the UHNS did not properly communicate his medical needs to Stadium Court nursing home, in Cobridge, where he spent time before returning to the UHNS.
Recording a narrative verdict, Coroner Mrs Jones said there was a 'missed opportunity' to asses Mr Lee's skin when he was first admitted to A&E, but acknowledged that treatment and practices for dealing with pressure sores had since greatly improved.
She said: "Mr Lee died from the effect of pressure sores. It is not possible to say, on the balance of evidence, whether these started in the community or hospital."
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