Six‑figure settlement for family of woman who died after hospital fall

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability for the circumstances leading to her death. 

The woman, who we have called Sharon, was taken to hospital in October 2020 after experiencing a seizure at home. She had recently reduced her alcohol intake due to illness, and hospital staff believed she was undergoing alcohol withdrawal alongside pneumonia.  

Later that day Sharon suffered a second seizure and was placed on the trust’s alcohol withdrawal pathway, a clinical framework requiring regular monitoring and timely reassessment to ensure safe management of withdrawal symptoms. 

That evening, Sharon was transferred to the Trauma Assessment and Stabilisation Unit (TASU), where her condition began to deteriorate further. Shortly after arriving on the ward, Sharon became confused and disorientated and was twice found in the toilet in a distressed state, having pulled the emergency buzzer and unable to recognise where she was. Her confusion continued as the evening went on and, later that night, Sharon was found on the floor beside her bed with a serious head injury following an unwitnessed fall.  

Sharon suffered a hyperacute intracranial haemorrhage – a sudden, severe bleed within the skull and was transferred to intensive care. She died in the early hours of the following morning. 

At the inquest into Sharon’s death, the court heard evidence that reviews of Sharon that should have taken place under the alcohol withdrawal pathway were not carried out, that no confusion assessment was undertaken, and that despite repeated episodes of wandering in a confused state, she was not placed under enhanced observation or supervision.  

The court was also told that important information was not passed on during staff handovers and that staff failed to take basic steps to protect Sharon from the risks that her deteriorating condition presented. 

The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust admitted liability for those failings, accepting that the lack of monitoring, assessment and supervision left Sharon vulnerable and contributed to the circumstances in which she suffered the fall that ultimately caused her death.  

Sharon’s family, represented by Leigh Day senior associate Stephen Clarkson, have agreed a six-figure settlement with the Trust. 

Stephen Clarkson said: 

“This settlement and admission of liability from the Trust represents an important acknowledgement of the failings that contributed to Sharon’s death. 

“The evidence heard at the inquest into her death made clear that Sharon was placed at risk after essential assessments and observations were not carried out. It is now vital that the Trust reflects on what happened and ensures that meaningful lessons are learned so that nobody else has to experience what Sharon’s family been through.”