THE family of a Basingstoke pensioner, who died at his home nine days after a stroke, believe he should not have been sent home from hospital.

An inquest at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court heard how 92-year-old Arthur Collins died following a fall at his home in Church Square, Basingstoke on July 11.

The fatal fall happened days after the grandfather-of-five had suffered a small stroke on July 2 and was taken to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital (RHCH), in Winchester, for treatment.

On arrival, Mr Collins was monitored and he was released the following day after doctors were satisfied with his progress – something his family were unhappy about.

Daughter Karen Rolfe told the inquest: “I got a phone call to say he was being discharged. My son took me down at 6pm when he finished work, and my father didn’t look well enough to go home, in our opinion.

“I questioned the decision with the staff nurse, and she said he was okay. We said ‘Can’t he go into some rehabilitation place for a few days or home care?’ “Anyone could see he was unwell, and he was not fit enough to go back to his place. He should have gone for rehabilitation, even for a few days.”

The inquest heard how Mr Collins’ family would check on him throughout the day, ensuring he had a panic button and telephone in his home to contact them in an emergency.

The day before he died, his daughter told the inquest that her father had a GP appointment, and was told he had low blood pressure. It was then that a rapid response nurse was called, and it was arranged that Mr Collins would be picked up to be taken to hospital the following morning.

Mrs Rolfe added: “As I was leaving on the Friday, I got a call from the rapid response nurse who had found dad on the floor. They got the emergency services and I met them up the hospital.”

Mr Collins subsequently died at Basingstoke hospital later that day.

A statement from consultant Dr Nigel Smyth, read out at the inquest, said that Mr Collins was assessed three times before being discharged from the Winchester hospital. He added: “His cognition was good, and his observations were within the normal units.”

The inquest heard that the cause of Mr Collins’ death was acute subdural hematoma. A postmortem showed that Mr Collins had a pacemaker fitted, his lungs had begun letting fluid in, and his kidneys were “not in a good condition”.

Andrew Bradley, coroner for North East Hampshire, recorded a verdict of accidental death, saying: “They (the hospital) have taken the view that he was fit to go. The decision made was a medical decision, and it is the clinical view that he was fit to go home.”

Following the inquest, Mrs Rolfe told The Gazette: “He was a brilliant grandfather. He was such a wonderful father and we have lost him in a bad way. We feel let down and we feel he was let down. We don’t want it to happen to other people.”

A spokesman for Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the RHCH and Basingstoke hospital, said: “We would like to express our sincere condolences to Mr Collins’ family and friends. Our staff have met with the family and have discussed Mr Collins’ care and treatment with them. Our clinical staff assess patients, and make decisions about discharge based on clinical criteria.”