A grandmother died after a fall when paramedics tried to lift her with a bath towel instead of approved equipment, an inquest has heard.
Doreen Piling suffered a serious leg fracture on September 3 last year after an ambulance technician tried to lift the 93-year-old from her bathroom floor with a towel to rush her to hospital.
The retired teacher was eventually taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital, where she developed pneumonia and died almost two months later.
At an inquest into her death held in April, coroner Christopher Long concluded that the paramedic’s decision was a ‘culpable human failure that contributed to Doreen’s death’.
Doreen’s daughter Christine Fitzpatrick, 66, said it was “really harrowing” to see her mother suffer.
Christine’s described her mother as a ‘strongly independent’ woman who had previously been a Salvation Army soldier, following the death of her husband Ken in 2008, and who enjoyed delivering food parcels to locals on Christmas Day.
Speaking for the first time after the inquest, Christine said: ‘My mother was a lovely lady who gave so much to her family and the local community in her life, and she deserved so much better.
‘Watching my mother suffer for so many weeks and die in such an undignified and painful way was truly harrowing, and something we will never fully recover from.’
An ambulance was called when Doreen was found unable to move in the bathroom of her home in Burnley, Lancashire, on September 3 last year.
A technician attempted to lift Doreen off the floor with a rolled up towel, instead of using the ambulance’s approved equipment.
She then fell to the ground in what was described as an “uncontrolled descent” and broke her right leg.
She was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital where she developed pneumonia.
After a long stay in Blackburn and later at Pendle Community Hospital, Doreen died on October 24.
Christine added: ‘As a family we are grateful to the coroner for having so carefully considered my mother’s care and reaching this conclusion, which we believe is the right one.
‘I hope changes can be made to ensure that the same poor care is not repeated for another patient in the same situation.’
Doreen, described by her family as fiercely independent, taught food technology to adults with learning disabilities at Burnley College before retiring.
Before her death, Doreen lived in her own flat in a retirement home in the city.
While her family helped her with grocery shopping, Doreen cooked all her own meals and enjoyed going out for regular coffee.
In addition to working with the Salvation Army, Christine also raised concerns about her mother’s hospital treatment before she died in October and filed an official complaint.
Although the coroner did not find this played a role in Doreen’s death, he asked the hospital to provide full details of how the cards are checked and monitored.
Madeleine Langmead, a medical negligence lawyer at JMW Solicitors who represented Doreen’s family at the inquest, said: ‘I welcome the findings of the inquest as they provide much-needed answers to Doreen’s family.
‘They witnessed her serious deterioration and the coroner’s conclusion confirms their belief that this all started with the careless error of the ambulance technician.
‘This case highlights the catastrophic consequences that can occur if safety procedures are not followed when handling and lifting patients.
‘This reckless approach should not have been used in any patient, let alone an elderly person who was at increased risk of breaking a bone.
‘It is vital that lessons are learned so that this does not happen again.’
A spokesman for North West Ambulance Service said: ‘We are sincerely sorry for the error in care that led to Ms Pilling’s injury before she was admitted to hospital and we accept the coroner’s findings.
‘The staff involved have received additional training to ensure that these types of incidents do not occur again.
‘We extend our sincere condolences to Ms Pilling’s family and apologize for the distress this incident has caused.’