Tragedy leads to further inquiries

Further investigations will be made into a Black Country hospital where a pensioner died after being mistakenly poisoned.

Health and Safety bosses say their probe into Walsall Manor has been prompted by "management issues" highlighted by the case of Walter Green, aged 75, who died after a machine to help his breathing was mistakenly topped up with the wrong liquid. Staff had poured an iodine-based solution gastrografin into a humidifier instead of sterile water.

A two-day inquest held at Smethwick Town Hall earlier this week returned a verdict of accidental death. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) spokesman Neil Whelan said: "The inquest forms a part of the HSE investigation.

"The HSE are investigating because the matter involves management issues, rather than clinical issues." Police also carried out their own probe at the outset, but decided the case was not within their remit.

West Midlands Police spokeswoman Jaspreet Jagdev said: "There was an initial investigation launched following Mr Green's death.

"A file was prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service and following their advice the death was referred to the HSE and the coroner."

Black Country Coroner Mr Robin Balmain told the inquest this week that it was unclear how the solution was mistakenly left near to Mr Green.

Mr Green's son said they were not surprised by the coroner's verdict their father died in a tragic accident, but said they felt he had been let down by the hospital.

Colin Green, and his partner Kathleen Groves, told the Express & Star they welcomed assurances by the hospital that it had since changed policies and procedures.

Mike Browne, medical director at Walsall Manor Hospital has apologised to the family. Mr Green, 54, also of Willenhall, said: "Mr Browne apologised to us. But we are still left by the enormity of what Dad went through. We still have to live with that. The verdict is not going to bring him back.

"This is the first time we have been able to hear from people what had gone on. The hospital said nothing to us about what was going on and I was very annoyed about that at the time."

Walsall Manor Hospital's medical director Mike Browne said: "The coroner was assured that we have taken the right steps to ensure an incident like this would not happen again, but we are conducting our own investigation, to see if any further lessons can be learnt."