A ‘kind and caring’ former nurse died of pneumonia at Basingstoke hospital after a fall at home, an inquest has heard.

Christine Ann Hancock, 64, fell from a chair at home in Hook, and was taken to hospital in an ambulance on May 21 2020.

Sadly, due to the coronavirus pandemic, her family were unable to visit before she passed away on May 31.

Ian Hancock, her husband of more than 30 years, told Winchester Coroners’ Court on Tuesday (February 16) that his wife was a “kind and caring person.”

When the couple first moved to Hampshire more than 35 years ago, Mrs Hancock - a qualified nurse - was pharmacy manager at Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital.

She later took time off to care for their daughter, before becoming a learning support assistant in a school.

Mr Hancock said his wife had health complications which began in 2012.

In March 2013, Mrs Hancock suffered from a stroke. Over the years that followed, she had regular falls, struggled to recover her balance and would often need to be helped up by her husband.

On May 21 2020, Mr Hancock was woken in the early hours by his wife calling for him. She had been taking pain relief medication, and had dropped some on the floor, falling from a chair as she bent to pick it up.

She was on the floor, and expressed she was in pain. She was unable to help her husband to move her as she usually would.

“I just didn’t physically have the strength, so I called the ambulance service who were very good,” Mr Hancock explained.

The hospital found that Mrs Hancock had a fractured neck of femur (left hip) for which she received “surgical fixation” on May 23.

On May 25, her temperature spiked, and she was given antibiotics to treat pneumonia. The doctor’s statement read in court stated that “despite the care given, her condition deteriorated and she sadly passed away on May 31.”

Area coroner Jason Pegg said: “It seems to me that Christine and her family enjoyed a loving family life.

“In March 2013, Christine, at a young age, suffered a stroke. The immobility and the frailty which arose from that contributed to her death.

“I am going to give a conclusion of accident in this case. When she slipped from the chair, it was an accidental fall. But for that fall, it seems to me she would not have died when she did so.”