Margaret Eluned Roberts died five weeks after black tea spilled onto her, leaving her with burns on her body following the incident at her the nursing home where she lived
A 99-year-old woman who “wanted to reach 100” has died due to a cup of tea she was drinking, an inquest heard.
A hearing heard Margaret Eluned Roberts “wanted to reach 100,” the coroner said. A hearing today heard how the registered blind Roberts suffered burns when hot black tea spilled onto her at an Anglesey nursing home where she lived.
The inquest said the burn contributed to Mrs Roberts catching a chest infection. A senior coroner later ruled that Mrs Roberts’ death five weeks after the burn was accidental.
Kate Robertson, the senior coroner for north west Wales, found she died from pneumonia and cellulitis secondary to a burn, with old age, asthma and ischaemic heart disease as contributory factors. Sarah Thomas, a healthcare assistant at Glan Rhos nursing home in Brynsiencyn, said Mrs Roberts asked to have a cup of black tea.
She then gave it to her in a plastic, two-handled breaker on September 22 last year. She said she was aware Mrs Roberts was registered as blind but added she was “very independent” and “wanted to drink the cup of tea herself.”
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Ms Thomas then watched Mrs Roberts as she sat in a chair sipping the tea through a straw in the spout before she moved away. The inquest then heard Ms Roberts spilled the tea on herself at about 7pm but Ms Thomas claimed she did not hear her scream.
Jo Reavey, a nurse, said in a statement that she heard Mrs Roberts “shouting in an urgent tone.” She then said she found her “distraught with her arms raised.
“The beaker was upside down and there was black tea on her trousers.” The wound started to blister and staff put cold towels on it she said, WalesOnline reported.
Linda Pritchard, Mrs Roberts’ daughter, said she got a phone call about what happened. She then asked: “Why did they give a blind lady hot black tea?”
Paramedics were alerted at 7:51pm and arrived at Glan Rhos nursing home two hours later at around 10pm. Mrs Roberts was taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor where the wound was initially classed as eight per cent of her body weight but following reddening reduced it to about 4 per cent.
This was less than the 10 per cent threshold to be admitted to a burns unit. The blisters were lanced at Ysbyty Gwynedd and the wound was then dressed as she was discharged.
Mrs Roberts was returned to Glan Rhos but she then developed chest problems. On October 7 her daughter Mrs Pritchard asked for her to be readmitted to Ysbyty Gwynedd.
Consultant physician Dr Abdul Azu told the inquest her condition was not improving. Mrs Roberts died in hospital on October 28, some five weeks after the scalding. Dr Azu then added: “Without a doubt the burn has contributed to her (Mrs Roberts) catching the chest infection because she was not moving about.
“She was lying in bed. The scalding was a factor in her declining health.” The coroner Mrs Robertson said the pensioner died on October 28 “as a result of the medical conditions which were precipitated by the burn injury sustained on her leg.”
She added the spillage had been “unintended and accidental” and gave the cause of death of Mrs Roberts, a former environmental protection poultry meat inspector, as an accident. Mrs Robertson told Mrs Pritchard: “Mam wanted to reach 100 years old. It would have been such a significant milestone for her and for you.”
She passed on her sincere condolences adding: “I hope there are fond memories you can rely upon when the time comes.”