THE son of a frail pensioner told an inquest his mother never recovered from a fall at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Widow Sheila Frances Munro, 81, formerly of Tarvin, died at Prospect House Nursing Home, Malpas, on November 19 last year.
The mother of three, a qualified speech therapist, had been married to Angus Andrew until his death in 1972 and later married Ian Munro who passed away in 2003.
Mrs Munro, who had memory lapses and poor mobility, behaved oddly while out for a family meal at the Farmers Arms, Huxley, last April and was found to have suffered a mild heart attack.
Then on July 14 she fell at home causing a readmittance to the Countess for what was intended to be an overnight stay.
But the next day she fell again at the entrance to A&E while waiting to be collected and had to be readmitted due to a fractured cheekbone. However, a CT scan of her head showed no bleed.
Her son Stuart Andrew, 64, believes it was the fall at hospital which caused her to deteriorate significantly and quickly.
He told the inquest: “We strongly felt it was the fall in the hospital that caused the real damage.”
Mrs Munro was discharged to Tarporley Cottage Hospital on August 3, where she stayed until August 22 when she was discharged home.
But she was urgently readmitted to hospital on August 26 with a suspected stroke and this time a CT scan revealed an acute bleed on the brain which was not suitable for surgical intervention.
She was discharged to Prospect House Nursing Home on October 28, but died three weeks later.
A pathologist found Mrs Munro died of bleeding to the brain and water on the brain caused by a fall.
Assistant deputy coroner for Cheshire Michael Wallbank found she died as a result of an accident.
