THE death of a 'loving, caring' 89-year-old who was admitted to hospital for a broken hip was 'possibly preventable', an inquest has heard.

Doris Simpson, of Solway Road, Lowca, died in the Cumberland Infirmary on June 8, 2024, the same day that her infected surgical wound was washed out for the second time after an operation to fix her broken left hip.

According to a statement submitted to Cockermouth Coroner’s Court by the surgeon who performed the initial procedure, Mrs Simpson had fallen and broken her hip at home in the early hours of April 22.

She had reported feeling dizzy after she got up to switch her lights off.

Following an initial admission to West Cumberland Hospital she was transferred to Carlisle.

The surgeon's statement said Mrs Simpson had a number a co-morbidities including type-two diabetes, aortic valve replacement, hypertension, pulmonary embolism, obesity and heart failure, putting her at 'high risk for any surgical procedure'.

She had had several recent admissions to hospital for respiratory issues, the inquest heard.

The statement said: "The options were surgery or non-operative pain relief.

"However, the chances of the fracture healing were small, she would be in pain and nursing care would be challenging.

"We agreed that she required surgical fixation."

During the operation on April 25, however, due to the 'complex nature' of the fracture, the decision was made to change the type of fixation from an intramedullary nail to a dynamic hip screw, the inquest was told.

Mrs Simpson lost 1600 millilitres of blood during this operation.

The surgeon described the immediate post-operative period as 'uneventful' and she was transferred back to West Cumberland Hospital for rehabilitation on May 1.

On May 7, Mrs Simpson's wound had become painful and discharging so swab samples were sent, which showed a possible infection, it was heard.

She was transferred back to Carlisle on May 10 for a wound washout, debridement, and implant replacement the following day, during which she lost two litres of blood, and required a blood transfusion.

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The statement says Mrs Simpson showed 'gradual improvement', but on June 6, signs of infection began to return, and she was taken for a further wound washout and debridement, to try to prevent sepsis, on June 8.

She lost a further 1500 millilitres of blood during this procedure.

The statement says Mrs Simpson was 'extremely unwell' and 'unlikely to survive' after the operation.

She died at 11.10pm after being placed on end-of-life care.

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Assistant Coroner for Cumbria Margaret Taylor accepted the cause of death offered as sepsis secondary to joint infection, caused by a fracture, with her co-morbidities as significant contributory factors.

A hospital investigation concluded that it was an 'unexpected death and was possibly preventable', with 'room for improvement', but 'no higher than 50 per cent'.

Her son said in a statement that Mrs Simpson was a 'loving, caring person, who loved chatting over the garden fence', and enjoyed cooking, knitting, and picnics at the beach.

He said: “Mum had a good life.”

A spokesperson from the North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust said: "We extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Mrs Simpson at this sad time.

"Our own review found that although overall care was good, we should identify learning from the difficulties in resolving Mrs Simpson's post-operative infection, as part of our commitment to continuous improvement."