THE daughter of a long-serving nurse has called for York Hospital to change how it cares for patients with dementia after her mother died in its wards.

Lilian Tune worked for half a century at The Retreat Hospital in York and was awarded its William Tuke medal.

An inquest heard that on her 96th birthday, June 24, 2021, she was taken to York Hospital by ambulance.

She had several medical conditions including dementia. Within hours she fell and suffered a broken hip and wrist, the inquest heard.

Mrs Tune, of St Nicholas Street, central York, died on July 2, 2021 after surgery.

Deputy sister Emma Robinson, who conducted an internal inquiry for the hospital, concluded that its staff had followed all appropriate protocols and procedures.

Mrs Tune’s daughter Catherine Barker, herself a former care assistant, said after the inquest: “She was a really caring person. She has worked all these years in The Retreat giving care. I feel at the end it wasn’t given to her.

“She should have had ‘one to one’ care as soon as she went in. She had dementia.”

Earlier, she had told the inquest: “I feel the hospital doesn’t give the care we used to do. There is no bedside manner.”

The inquest heard that staff checked on Mrs Tune every 15 minutes and she was given a call button to call staff.

Healthcare assistant Lynda Mair told the inquest that between two checks, a patient alerted staff that Mrs Tune was on the floor instead of in her bed.

Staff immediately went to Mrs Tune’s assistance and she was then given “one to one care” meaning a member of staff stayed with her at all times.

The inquest heard that she had a broken hip and broken wrist and she later underwent surgery.

Assistant coroner Richard Watson recorded a narrative conclusion that she had deteriorated after the fall and died.

The causes of death he gave as pneumonia, bone fractures and dementia.

“Fifteen minutes is a long time if you are confused,” Mrs Barker said. “I think there should be more staff for elderly patients with dementia."

A spokesperson for York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are extremely sorry that Mrs Tune sustained a fracture while in our care and we reiterate our apology to her family.

“We take situations such as the events surrounding Mrs Tune’s fall extremely seriously.

“The incident was fully investigated as part of the trust’s serious incident investigation process, looking closely at all elements of her care. This included the clinical practice and competencies of the staff involved, and the trust’s standard operating procedures relating to falls prevention.

“The detailed investigation concluded no lapses in care in either the department’s procedures or the clinical practices of the staff. We welcome the inquest conclusion.”