Janet McCabe died from hospital-acquired pneumonia and influenza A, contributed to by two incidents on the ward at Good Hope Hospital
06:00, 24 May 2026
Janet McCabe was a much-loved mum, grandma and great grandmother
A much-loved great grandmother who was ‘ready to go home’ tragically died after suffering two ‘falls’ at a Birmingham hospital, an inquest heard.
The mum-of-three, described as ‘a fighter’, was recovering from a major hip operation at Good Hope Hospital when she suffered a painful fracture in the first incident last November.
The 82-year-old, originally from Bordesley Green, told her family she had ‘fallen’, with a health care assistant (HCA) then ‘falling on top of her’, Birmingham Coroner’s Court heard.
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The HCA did not report the incident to anyone and later claimed it was a ‘near miss’, rather than a fall, the court heard.
Before the incident Mrs McCabe, known for her strength and determination, was ‘making good progress’, with family expecting her home in a matter of days.
Mobility aids were delivered to the Malvern farm where she lived with her husband ahead of her planned return. However, she sadly never came home.
While in hospital, the grandmother suffered a further dislocation when she ‘slipped from a chair’ in December.
Janet was ‘making good progress’ with her mobility before the incident occurred on November 5
She later caught influenza A and hospital-acquired pneumonia during her stay. Her condition sadly only worsened and she was placed on end of life care on January 21.
Mrs McCabe died the next day, January 22. This week, an inquest into her death concluded she died from natural causes, contributed to by fractures sustained in multiple falls/ incidents in hospital.
“It is clear that the falls did contribute to her death,” Area Coroner Adam Hodson said, recording a narrative conclusion.
“I find that Janet was a strong and determined woman and, as a consequence of the incident and subsequent fall a month later, it meant she lost a chance of having a better outcome and returning home to her family.
“She leaves behind a loving husband, children, grandchildren and a great grandchild.”
While the family stressed that the staff at Good Hope had been ‘fantastic’, they felt without the incidents, their mum would have been able to return home and, therefore would not have been in hospital to catch influenza A.
“She would have come home, she was coming home,” her daughter, Helen Bagnall told the coroner.
“We had all the equipment delivered to the farm [where she lived]. Had she been home, she never would have caught the flu.”
Mrs McCabe’s cause of death was concluded as pneumonia and pulmonary embolism, contributed to by a long-standing periprosthetic joint infection, fracture and dislocations secondary to falls, along with Parkinson’s and asthma.
The grandmother, who had a complex medical history, was admitted to Good Hope Hospital with a worsening hip infection in October 2025.
She underwent extensive surgery at the hospital and was then placed on ward 17 to recover from the operation.
There, she was deemed to be at ‘high risk of falling’ and a recommendation was made for two staff members to aid her when mobilising.
However when the incident took place on November 5, she only had one healthcare assistant (HCA) with her, the court heard.
The coroner said there were “two versions of something going on,” but as it was not reported at the time, the investigation into the incident had been hampered.
Why journalists cover inquests
Journalists are always allowed to go to inquests and are allowed to report anything which is said in court. Many journalists report inquests as part of the principle of ‘open justice’.
The purpose of open justice and reporting from inquests is to: make sure that the public understands the reasons why someone has died, make sure that deaths are not kept secret, draw attention to circumstances which may lead to more deaths or injuries and to prevent this from happening and clear up any rumours or suspicion about the death.
Mrs McCabe told her family she was “asked not to say anything for fear of the person getting into trouble.”
“The following day, mum had an awful night in terrible pain. She was crying out in pain,” Mrs Bagnall said.
“She told us she had asked to use the toilet and the HCA had come in and tried to move her alone, and put her onto a commode.
“Mum’s leg gave way, from what I understand, and she fell back and the HCA fell on top of her. The HCA went out to get a Sara Stedy at that point.”
Catherine Hough, senior sister on ward 17, conducted an internal investigation and told the court: “The “staff member did not believe that a reportable incident happened at the time.”
She added: “Her statement is that she had got her on the commode and Janet stumbled slightly, she said she would get the Sara Stedy and Janet has transferred herself into the chair.”
The HCA was initially suspended from her duties but soon reinstated on the ward, the court heard.
Mr Hodson concluded there had been “deficiencies in care” as the recommendations were not followed and the incident was not reported by the HCA.
Good Hope Hospital(Image: Harry Leach / BirminghamLive)
“The evidence has been clear that the trust has recognised there were deficiencies in care, and they have been acted upon,” said the coroner.
Several medical professionals giving evidence all commented on Mrs McCabe’s strength and character during the inquest.
“I thought she was a remarkable for fighting that long against such adverse conditions,” her surgeon, Consultant Omer Salar, told the family.
“I’m very sorry we weren’t able to pull her through. It was a pleasure looking after her and a delight to be her surgeon.”
Mrs Bagnall told the court her mum was the “best wife and mother anybody could ask for.”
In a loving tribute, she said: “She was a fabulous grandmother, and recently welcomed her first great grandchild. She managed to meet her once in hospital before we lost her.
“She was the matriarch of the family. She would have fought tooth and nail for any one of us. She was very much loved and highly thought of.”
BirminghamLive has contacted University Hospitals Birmingham for a comment.
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