97-year-old died after suffering broken legs in nursing home that later closed

ELDERLY patient Florence Skeet died after both her legs were broken while she was in a nursing home that has since closed.

An inquest recorded an open verdict into the death of the 97-year-old, who had lived at Uplands nursing home, in Maisemore, for six years.

The home later closed amid concerns over its standards of care and welfare.

Miss Skeet was admitted to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital with fractures to both legs on July 1, 2010, after complaining of pain the previous day. She died in hospital six days later.

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Detective Sergeant Mark Stenhouse told the inquest he found nothing in the home's documents or staff reports to shed any light on how Miss Skeet had come by her injuries, he said.

He said possible explanations were that she had fallen out of bed, had been assaulted, had suffered the injuries while moving around or had been mishandled by staff – but there was no evidence to support any of those possibilities.

In a statement, home manager Tracy Click said Miss Skeet suffered dementia, poor eyesight and hearing, and used a wheelchair.

Accident and emergency consultant Dr Stephen McCabe said Miss Skeet was admitted to hospital with fractures of both thighs.

The fractured right thigh showed signs that it had been healing for a number of weeks, but Miss Skeet's broken left thigh was significant in her death, the inquest heard.

Dementia, osteoporosis and heart disease also contributed.

Gloucestershire deputy coroner David Dooley said: "The question still outstanding is how she came to have that fracture. And there is no evidence that allows me to say it is more likely to have occurred in one way or another."

The coroner said that in the circumstances, it was appropriate to record an open verdict.

Uplands nursing home was closed by the Care Quality Commission in 2011 and residents were moved elsewhere.