A CORONER has called for an immediate investigation into the safety of beds at York District Hospital following the death of a 70-year-old man.

York coroner Donald Coverdale adjourned the inquest into the death of Thomas Staveley to enable a full inquiry to take place into cot-sided beds at the hospital - to check for a possible "design fault".

Mr Coverdale said the public had a right to know that the beds were safe. Mr Staveley, who was admitted to hospital on August 2, suffering headaches and dizziness, fell out of his bed in the early hours two days later.

The investigation will centre on how the pensioner's right-hand cot side came to fall down while he was trying to reach for his urinal bottle.

"It's unusual for a cot side to collapse," Mr Coverdale said.

Mr Staveley sustained a badly bruised eye and chest in the fall.

The retired railway worker, of Beckfield Lane, Acomb, died of a brain haemorrhage, a blood clot on the lungs and heart problems, on the following day, August 5.

A pathologist's report said the haemorrhage may have been suffered before his admission to hospital, but also "may have been sustained when he fell out of his bed".

Mr Staveley's widow, Vera, who was at the hearing, said afterwards: "The investigation won't bring my husband back but I wouldn't like to think that other patients were harmed by faulty beds."

His daughter Janet added: "If that cot side was stable he shouldn't have been able to fall out of his bed."

Staff nurse Janet Peach, who was on night duty at the time of the accident, told the inquest she felt the cot side was "safe".

"I don't know how it came to be down," she said.

"I put the cot side back up after Mr Staveley had fallen and checked it was secure.

"Nobody came to look at it that night and I don't know if anyone came subsequently."

Mr Coverdale said: "I'm not satisfied that I've got enough evidence to record a verdict.

"It's unusual for a cot side to collapse and it seems unlikely that Mr Staveley was trying to lean over the top.

"I want to know if there was a design fault in that cot side and cot sides generally.

"Mrs Staveley is entitled to know what happened to it.

"If there's some fundamental design fault then everyone needs to know about - particularly York District Hospital.

"It may have repercussions for patients in general.

"There should be a full inquiry into the matter."

A spokesman for the York Health Trust said: "Our sincere sympathies go out to the family of Mr Staveley.

"We can't comment in detail until the inquest has been completed, but the trust will give every help to the coroner in his inquiries.

"If the hearing shows there are issues to address we will of course deal with them as quickly and effectively as possible."

Updated: 10:30 Friday, November 02, 2001