More than 30 patients at a time are being held in beds at Tameside Hospital with no medical reason to be there, the coroner has been told
Josh Pennington Content editor
16:51, 18 Jul 2025Updated 20:21, 18 Jul 2025
Tameside General Hospital(Image: Manchester Evening News)
An elderly woman died while being held in Tameside General Hospital awaiting to be discharged, as more than 30 patients at a time are being kept in beds for weeks at the hospital with no medical reason to be there.
Doreen Swann, 89, was being kept on a ward at the Ashton-under-Lyne hospital, due to a shortage of social care placement, an inquest into her death has revealed.
The patient, who was described as being a high falls risk, died on January 13, after suffering a fall while unsupervised. An inquest into Doreen’s death heard that the ward environment she was being held in was unsuitable for someone at high risk of falling.
Now, South Manchester Coroner Alison Mutch has warned that more fatalities could occur in similar circumstances unless the NHS learns from Doreen’s death.
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Ms Mutch has written to The Department of Health and Social Care and Greater Manchester Integrated Care, asking both bodies to give a response to her concerns.
Ms Mutch said: “Doreen Swann was a patient at Tameside General Hospital who had been medically optimised and was awaiting discharge when she developed a further infection.
“She was a high falls risk. She fell whilst unobserved and when the bed rails were up when they should not have been. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and died at Tameside General Hospital on 13th January 2025.
“During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern. In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken.
“The inquest heard evidence that Doreen Swann was only in hospital at the point of her fall because her discharge had been delayed due to a shortage of a suitable social care placement. The evidence was that nursing/caring for high falls risk patients in an acute setting is challenging and resource intensive.”
The inquest heard that the issue of patients being held on wards at Tameside General Hospital awaiting discharge is commonplace, with more than 30 patients at a time being kept in beds for several weeks.
Ms Mutch added: “The evidence given to the inquest was that this delayed discharge and the ongoing risk it presents was not an isolated incident at Tameside General Hospital. As an example the evidence given was that there were regularly 30 plus patients with a delayed discharge over three weeks due to a lack of social care beds.
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“The evidence indicated that this challenge was not unique to Tameside. The evidence indicated that managing a falls risk and the consequential risk to life is better managed outside an acute setting once the clinical need for a hospital stay has passed.
“Delayed discharges such as Doreen Swann’s reduces the availability of beds for other patients and creates a knock-on impact across the hospital particularly in relation to the Emergency Department.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our deepest sympathies are with the friends and family of Ms Swann. We consider all prevention of future deaths reports carefully and will respond in due course.
“No-one should have to stay in hospital longer than necessary, and we are working hard to better link up the NHS and social care to get people out and closer to home more quickly.
“Shifting care out of hospitals and into the community is a core part of our 10 Year Health Plan as we rebuild our health and care system.”
A spokesperson for Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust said: “We wish to express our sincere condolences to Doreen’s family. As this prevention of future deaths report is not addressed to us, we are unable to comment.”
The Department of Health and Social Care and Greater Manchester Integrated Care have been approached for comment.