Fatal accident at BGH was avoidable

Fiona Barber, 71, was going down the steps of the vehicle backwards to attend a routine appointment when she lost her grip and fell on top of a patient transport care worker who was guiding her by holding her coat.

He tried to break her fall but Mrs Barber hit the back of her head on the ground and she died two weeks later at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.

The accident happened on December 21, 2009, when Mrs Barber - a talented artist - was picked up from her home at Lindean near Selkirk, and transported to Borders General Hospital.

After four days of evidence at a fatal accident inquiry, written submissions were put forward at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

Sheriff James Farrell - who accepted it was “undesirable” for the inquiry to take place five years and a month after the death - asked legal representatives of the Scottish Ambulance Service , NHS Borders and the Health Safety Executive to explain points made in their submissions.

Representing the family, Mrs Barber’s son, Jonathan also explained why he felt it was a “preventable accident”.

He said that the accident would not have happened if she had been taken off the ambulance on a wheelchair by the hydraulic lift at the rear.

The inquiry heard how Mrs Barber had declined the use of the hydraulic lift when she was picked up at her home at Bridgelands House.

Instead she was assisted onto the ambulance by the two patient transport care workers.

But at Borders General Hospital, it was only Keith Murray, 52, who assisted her off while his colleague collected a wheelchair from the back of the ambulance.

Mr Barber said: “Two people were there when she boarded which gave her the confidence and there should have been two when she left the ambulance.

“If the Health and Safety Executive have no clear guidance on steadying a patient leaving an ambulance then I don’t really know how ambulancemen can expect to carry out their roles of assisting and the only option was to take her down by the platform.” But Mr Barber accepted there was a difficult balance for ambulance staff to consider between patient respect and wishes and safety which would avoid a death.

Procurator fiscal depute Selena Brown said it would be impossible to assess the reasonable precautions that could have been taken because they did not know the reason for the fall.

Mr Murray previously told the inquiry how Mrs Barber - who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and had various joint replacements - was moving backwards down the steps when she lost her grip on the handrail.

Mr Murray said: “She fell plank solid. There was no buckling of the knees. It was a straight motion.

“I tried to break her fall but because of the joint replacements she fell like a domino.” Earlier in the inquiry Mr Barber said that his father Joe, who was Mrs Barber’s carer, never recovered from what happened and passed away a year and 10 days later.

Mr Barber said his mother was suffering from the effects of a “horrible disease” but he had never witnessed her fall.

He said she had various joints replaced and had been told of a severe fall at Kelso Races in 2006.

Asked what outcome he was looking from the inquiry Mr Barber said: “We were only told there was not going to be a prosecution in June last year.

“The family have waited a very long time for this and want to see some effective recommendations.

“It is the family view this was a very preventable accident.

“It really devastated the whole family.

“My father took it really badly and the stress was enormous on him and he died of cancer a year and 10 days after. He never really recovered from it and spent most of the year trying to understand what happened.

“We want to find out why it occurred and would like to see material and effective recommendations in patients handling both in the Scottish Ambulance Service and Borders General Hospital so that vulnerable patients are spared this sort of thing happening again.” Closing the inquiry Sheriff Farrell said he would issue a written determination in due course.