Lyn Parker’s death followed a fall at a care home, with undiagnosed fractures leading to respiratory failure
An inquest has heard that Lyn Parker, a 64-year-old disabled woman, was discharged from the hospital with undiagnosed fractures, including broken ribs and a fractured arm, just hours before her death. The injuries were sustained in a fall at Tudor Avenue Residential Care Home in Hampton, London, when two care workers attempted to lift her from a wheelchair using a sling on January 15, 2021.
Parker, who was non-verbal, fell at least 1.5 metres and was left on the floor for over three hours before an ambulance arrived. She was then taken to Kingston Hospital, where her condition worsened. She died 10 days later from aspiration pneumonia, a consultant reported in the inquest.
After being discharged in the early hours of January 16, Parker returned to the hospital the same morning after a care home worker noticed that her left arm had become swollen and discoloured. Dr Sumit Dutta, who treated her at the hospital, admitted that a full trauma scan should have been performed when she was initially admitted. He acknowledged that had the scan been done, Parker would have been admitted, and her injuries might have been better addressed.
Dr Khalid Mohammed Ali, who led the internal investigation into Parker's care, reported a missed diagnosis of fractures to her ribs and left arm. He added, however, that he believed earlier diagnosis would not have changed the outcome because Parker was extremely frail and had several underlying health conditions.
A CT scan on her second visit showed multiple rib fractures and a fracture to her left arm, which had not been detected previously. The initial medical team had failed to order an X-ray for the left arm as Parker could not communicate her pain. Dr Ali confirmed that the decision not to widen the investigation was an oversight, but he argued that it would not have altered the final outcome.
Rebekah Schiff, an independent expert in geriatric medicine, testified that Parker should not have been discharged without proper assessment. She highlighted that Parker’s rib fractures would have made breathing difficult, leading to quicker respiratory failure, which ultimately contributed to her death. Dr Schiff suggested that once Parker fractured her ribs, her death from aspiration pneumonia became inevitable.
The inquest continues, with attention on whether the care Parker received at the hospital and care home was adequate.
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