Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2020

Beryl Holland

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2020-0037, written 25 Feb 2020. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report25 Feb 2020
Reference2020-0037
DeceasedBeryl Holland
CoronerAlison Mutch
Coroner areaGreater Manchester South
CategoryEmergency services related deaths (2019 onwards) · Hospital Death (Clinical Procedures and medical management) related deaths
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses published2

The report

Text recovered by OCR from a scanned PDF. OCR is imperfect: check anything you rely on against the source PDF. Reproduced verbatim, including the scan's own layout.

REGULATION 28: REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS

REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS

THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO: The Secretary of State and the Chief
Executive of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

CORONER

lam Alison Mutch, Senior Coroner, for the Coroner Area of Greater Manchester
South

CORONER'S LEGAL POWERS

| make this report under paragraph 7, Schedule 5, of the Coroners and Justice
Act 2009 and regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations
2013

INVESTIGATION and INQUEST

On 10" July 2019, | commenced an investigation into the death of Beryl Holland.
The investigation concluded on the 9" January 2020 and the conclusion was
one of Accidental Death. The medical cause of death was 1a) Hospital
acquired pneumonia; 1b) Neck of femur fracture; 1c) Fall; Il) Myocardial
infarction; type 1 diabetes, pressure ulcers, dementia.

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH

Beryl Holland sustained a fractured neck of femur at the care home
where she resided after a fall. She had poor skin integrity and was
high risk in relation to pressure ulcers. She was admitted, via the
Emergency Department, to Stepping Hill Hospital and operated on.
Post operatively she continued to decline. She died at Stepping Hill
Hospital on 7" July 2019.

CORONER’S CONCERNS

During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to
concern. In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action
is taken. In the circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you.

The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows. —

The inquest heard that Beryl Holland was in the Emergency Department of the
Acute Hospital for a significant period of time before ultimately been transferred
to a ward. This was due to awaiting a suitable bed. She was vulnerable and at
high risk of developing pressure ulcers. The trust in question had identified gaps
in its processes and taken steps to reduce the risk of pressure ulcers
developing/worsening in the Emergency Department. The inquest was told that
there is no national guidance relating to the management of/reducing the risks of.

pressure ulcers developing in an Emergency Department setting. As aresult, _|
Trusts will develop their own policies, which may not always recognise and react
appropriately to the level of risk faced by those at risk of pressure ulcers
particularly where there are prolonged periods of time in the Emergency
Department.

6 | ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN

In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and | believe you
have the power to take such action.

7 | YOUR RESPONSE

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this
report, namely by 21* April 2020. I, the coroner, may extend the period.

Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken,
setting out the timetable for action. Otherwise you must explain why no action is
proposed,

3 COPIES and PUBLICATION |

| have sent a copy of my report to the Chief Coroner and to the following
Interested Persons namely 1) MY daughter of the deceased; 2)
Care Quality Commission, who may find it useful or of interest.

| am also under a duty to send the Chief Coroner a copy of your response.

The Chief Coroner may publish either or both in a complete or redacted or
summary form. He may send a copy of this report to any person who he
believes may find it useful or of interest. You may make representations to me,
the coroner, at the time of your response, about the release or the publication of
| your response by the Chief Coroner.

9 | Alison Mutch OBE

HM Senior Coroner
25.02.2020

Responses

2 responses published against this report on judiciary.uk. A response is a body's written reply to the coroner's concerns; publication is at the discretion of the Chief Coroner's office, so an absent response does not mean nobody replied.

Response from Nice (PDF)
NICE

Health and Care Excellence

N | C E National Institute for 10 Spring Gardens

London.

SW1A 2BU
United Kingdom

+44 (0)300 323 0140

16 March 2020

Alison Mutch

HM Senior Coroner
Coroner's Court

1 Mount Tabor Street
Stockport SK1 3AG

a

17 MAR 2020
Your ref: 13303/RD HM CORONER
Our ref: EH-305535 MANCHESTER SOUTH

Dear Ms Mutch,

I write in response to your correspondence, dated 25 February 2020, regarding the death of
Beryl Hoiland. | was very sorry to read of Ms Holland’s death.

We have reflected on the circumstances surrounding Ms Holland’s death, and the concerns
raised in your report, relating to guidance on the managing and reducing the risks of
pressure ulcers developing in an emergency department setting.

The NICE guideline on the prevention and management of pressure sores (CG179)
specifically provides advice to clinicians regarding patients receiving care in emergency
department settings.

Recommendations 1.1.2 and 1.2.1 contain advice to clinicians on risk assessment for
patients receiving care in emergency departments if they have a risk factor, such as:

significantly limited mobility (for example, people with a spinal cord injury)
significant loss of sensation

a previous or current pressure ulcer

nutritional deficiency

the inability to reposition themselves

significant cognitive impairment.

We therefore consider that NICE has produced relevant guidance and that no further action
is required from us at this time in response to your report.

We have initiated a multi-year programme of work called NICE Connect to review ail
elements of the way we produce and present our guidance and advice. The aim of this
quality improvement project is to transform the way NICE produces and presents information
to users, to ensure it can be found on our website more quickly and easily and is as clear
and accessible as possible. We will be working and consulting with stakeholders throughout
this long-term project. Further details of this work can be found on our website.

Yours sincerely,

or Cua
Sir Andrew Dillon

Chief Executive

www.nice.org.uk | nice@nice.org.uk
Response from The Department for Health and Social Care (PDF)
From Nadine Dorries MP 
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Patient Safety, 
Suicide Prevention and Mental Health 

39 Victoria Street 
London 
SW1H 0EU 

020 7210 4850 

Your Ref: 13303/RD 
Our Ref: PFD-1206650 

Ms Alison Patricia Mutch 
HM Senior Coroner, Manchester South 
HM Coroner's Court 
1 Mount Tabor Street 
Stockport SK1 3AG 

28th April 2020 

Dear Ms Mutch 

Thank you for your letter of 25 February 2020 to Matt Hancock about the death of Beryl 
Holland.  I am replying as Minister with responsibility for patient safety.  

Please extend my sincere condolences to Ms Holland’s family and loved ones. 

It is important that we look to make improvements where we can to ensure the highest 
standards of quality and safety in the NHS and I am grateful to you for bringing these 
matters to my attention.  

I am aware that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised 
you in its response that a clinical guideline is available on the Prevention and Management 
of Pressure Sores (CG1791) and that this guideline provides specific recommendations to 
clinicians in relation to patients receiving care in emergency department settings if they 
have a risk factor.  It is the view of NICE that this guideline provides relevant guidance.   

NHS trusts are expected to take into account NICE guidelines when developing Trust level 
policies.  Risk assessment and care planning for the prevention of pressure ulcers should 
be undertaken in all relevant settings within a hospital and it is therefore expected that 
emergency departments will have local policies in place.   

To assist NHS trusts, in 2017, NHS Improvement published an emergency department 
patient safety checklist2 that can be used to ensure skin assessments, appropriate care 
plans and follow up care are undertaken and recorded.  The checklist is endorsed by NHS 
England, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, and the Royal College of Nursing. 

1 https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg179 

2 https://improvement.nhs.uk/resources/emergency-department-ed-patient-safety-checklist/ 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
 
 
 I am advised that the Stockport NHS Foundation Trust has adopted the Patient Safety 
Checklist for use in the emergency department at Stepping Hill Hospital, alongside other 
actions to improve processes around the identification and management of pressure 
ulcers.  The emergency department works closely with the Tissue Viability Nurse 
Specialist and working together measures have been developed to improve patient safety 
and the quality of care.  For example, through improved access to dynamic mattresses 
and the transfer of patients from a trolley to a bed if they are experiencing long waits and 
are identified to be at risk.   

I hope this response is helpful. 

NADINE DORRIES

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