Patient ate chlorine pills

Reporter A CARE home resident who had eaten chlorine tablets had to wait more than three hours for an ambulance, an inquest has heard.

The overstretched North East Ambulance service was called five times before crews were sent to the Balmoral Court, in Byker.

Diabetic dementia patient Joe Serginson, 85, grabbed a tub from a cleaner’s trolley and swallowed the dissoluble disinfectant tablets which looked like mints as staff dealt with a mess.

A senior carer told the inquest how she screamed and forced her fingers into his mouth to try to retrieve the chlorine tablets before dialling 999 on August 1 last year.

Staff called five times for an ambulance and a series of crews were tasked to attend the home but were quickly diverted to other cases.

It was only at 5.12pm, three hours after the first 999 call, that a crew attended and he was taken to the city’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, arriving just before 6pm.

Medics decided the prognosis was too bad for Mr Serginson to recover from the effects of the corrosive chemical and he was kept comfortable in hospital before he died on August 4.

Pathologist Peter Cooper carried out a post-mortem examination and concluded Mr Serginson died from respiratory failure having ingested chlorine tablets.

NEAS complaints investigator Ruth Jackson told the hearing the situation happened on a daily basis and that it was to be addressed by more staff being recruited.

Cleaner Jamie Forbes said she had got her trolley out of a locked cupboard to tidy a mess in a corridor and the tub of chlorine tablets was on its top shelf.

Senior carer Jennifer Bolam said she was cleaning mess from a dado rail when she spotted him with the tub.

“It was so fast, he had put his hand in the jar, grabbed the tablets and put them in his mouth,” she said. “He was chewing so fast, that’s what made me think I have to put my hand into his mouth to get them out.” Mrs Bolam said they were advised to give Mr Serginson nil by mouth when they made the 999 call.

A specialist in acute medicine said the delay in the ambulance attending did not make any difference to Mr Serginson’s chances of survival.

In a narrative conclusion, the coroner ruled: “Joe died as a result of ingestion of chlorine tablets not stored securely.” A view of chlorine tablets similar to those taken by care home resident Joe Serginson