COVID-19 Patient Dies After Falling Off Hospital Bed

KEY POINTS

John Henry Chalk, 86, was found to have fallen off his bed at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital last year
He suffered severe injuries from the fall and died two days later
Chalk's COVID-19 infection was allegedly a factor in his death due to his pre-existing lung conditions

An 86-year-old man undergoing treatment for COVID-19 at a hospital in London over a year ago died after he fell from his bed and suffered severe injuries, an inquest heard.

John Henry Chalk, of Monmouth Close in Chandler's Ford, died at Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH) on Nov. 16 last year, the Hampshire Chronicle reported.

Chalk was placed in the Winchester hospital's Victoria Ward on Nov. 13 after testing positive for COVID-19, according to the newspaper.

Dr. Jimmy Chong, a consultant physician at RHCH, told the inquest that Chalk "was very breathless, was coughing and sweating" upon his arrival at the hospital.

Chalk was also said to be in a "confused state" when he arrived, according to the report.

The elderly man was later found to have fallen off his bed at around 2 a.m. on Nov. 14 despite his bed rails being up.

Chalk, who suffered serious injuries to his head and hip, was "trying to mobilize" when he fell, Chong explained.

A nurse who was working at the Victoria Ward when Chalk was admitted told the inquest that staff determined the elderly man was at low risk of a fall because he appeared to be sleeping and gave no indication of wanting to get out of bed.

Chong noted that Chalk "had good movement in all four limbs" after the fall, which he claimed was "unusual."

A CT scan revealed Chalk fractured his hip, but he was deemed too unfit to go into surgery, the doctor said.

Chalk later died following the incident, with the official causes for his death being COVID-19, traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage, fall, fractured femur, fractured left frontal facial bones and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to Chong.

The elderly man's COVID-19 infection was allegedly a major factor in his death due to his previous lung conditions.

A similar incident allegedly happened to a 70-year-old woman in Carlisle, who died in a hospital weeks after she fell from an operating table.

Jeanette Shields was accidentally dropped on the floor after a routine operation at the Cumberland Infirmary, her husband, John Shields, claimed.

"She had a great big bump on the back of her head and she just deteriorated and then she just passed away, just died," John said.

It was unclear how Jeanette fell from the operating table.

The North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust said an investigation was underway "in relation to an incident involving a patient in one of our theaters" and regulators were informed about it.

John confirmed he hired a medical negligence solicitor and was considering pursuing a claim pending the outcome of the trust's investigation.