THE family of a 93-year-old woman has raised concerns over hospital transfers of mental health patients in the county following her death.

An inquest into the death of Joan Margaret Powell, from Tarrington, found that she died of natural causes following a stroke at Hereford County Hospital on June 10.

However, her family claim that her dementia was getting worse due to hospital transfers and long waits in A&E.

Mrs Powell was first admitted to Ross-on-Wye Community Hospital on March 10, after suffering with a leg ulcers which didn’t improve despite treatment.

Her daughter Lynda Gaskin said that during the next three months, her mum experienced 29 changes of environment after being switched between the community and county hospitals and different wards within them.

She said: “I was shocked by the shortfall in service and little or no consideration for her condition.” Mrs Powell also claimed that her mother’s delirium had been caused by the leg ulcers.

In response, Dr Emma Wales of the Wye Valley NHS Trust said: “I don’t think that was the only thing driving her delirium.

“We recognise that old people don’t do well in hospital and that a long wait in A&E doesn’t help.

“There is a new 16-bed unit opening soon to take people out of A&E to stop those waits.

“The unit will allow patients to be admitted straight to it and bypass A&E, so patients from Ross-on-Wye hospital who become unwell will be taken there.

“All medical staff have mental health training as part of there induction, so I will bring up those concerns with the director.”

Coroner Roland Wooderson told the inquest at Hereford Town Hall last week that although Mrs Powell suffered from dementia her death was caused by natural causes.