There were 'failings' and 'shortcomings' before death of 76-year-old at Midlands Metropolitan Hospital, inquest finds
A coroner has concluded there were "shortcomings" in the Midlands Metropolitan University Hospital's care leading up to the death of an elderly patient who died after choking on food.
An inquest into the death of Rashida Sultana, aged 76 and from Handsworth, Birmingham, at the hospital in Smethwick heard there were "failings" in her care.
The inquest was held at the Black Country Coroners Court in Oldbury on Wednesday and Thursday (October 1 and 2) and heard about the death of Mrs Sultana, a "doting" mother of six, at the hospital on November 20 last year - only a month after it opened.
Nine witnesses gave evidence over the course of the inquest, including members of the nursing team, doctors, and physicians.
The proceedings focused on the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust's handling of choking policies, as well as its guidelines relating to how Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) procedures are applied.
Mrs Sultana, who was registered as DNAR, had suddenly started choking after eating from a bag of chips that her daughters had purchased for her while she was being treated on ward A9.
She had been admitted to the hospital two days prior, after her family feared she had had a stroke.
