A HOSPITAL patient who should have been supervised when eating choked when he was left alone, an inquest heard.

Retired welder Roy Denver Fred Davies , of Greystone Way, Oswestry, was admitted to the Wrexham Maelor Hospital on October 2, last year after suffering a massive stroke and he remained there until his death on January 7.

He was unable to eat or drink for much of the time and according to ward manager Sharon Jones he didn’t like being observed when given liquefied food so a nurse or support worker usually kept an eye on him from a discreet distance to ensure that he didn’t put too much food in his mouth.

Sister Jones told the inquest in Ruthin that she left Mr Davies, 73, alone for about quarter of an hour and when she returned he had stopped breathing.

“There would normally be someone else in the room to supervise him,” she said.

A post-mortem examination revealed a considerable amount of thick, pasty food material in his airway.

Medical records showed that between his admission and December 16 he was seen 10 times by speech and language therapists (SALT) to assess his capability.

Questioned by John Gittins, coroner for North Wales East and Central, Sister Jones said that checks were now made to ensure that patients received the correct food from the kitchen.

Talks have also taken place between SALT and food suppliers over suitable meals.

At the time of Mr Davies’s death, said Sister Jones, the hospital was under huge pressure because of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and they were short of staff.

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, the coroner said: “It disappoints me gravely that the risks were not acted upon because there should have been supervision and the food type level had not been documented. It may have been right but it was not documented.”

He gave the Betsi Cadwaladt University Health Board 28 days to furnish him with evidence of the steps outlined by Sister Jones to prevent a recurrence.

“If I am not satisfied I shall raise a Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths,” he said.