Hailsham woman’s burns overlooked by medics

Eighty-six-year-old Jean Wain was left with untreated burns for hours after first responders, paramedics and staff in the DGH’s A&E department failed to identify the injuries she suffered after falling over while making a cup of tea.

Mrs Wain’s condition deteriorated and she passed away in Bowes House in Hailsham on October 15 2019.

At an inquest into Mrs Wain’s death on Thursday (January 21), East Sussex coroner James Healy-Pratt said he would be writing to officials including the ambulance service to highlight the need for more checks to be made in relation to burns.

The inquest heard emergency services were called to Mrs Wain’s home in Woodpecker Lane on the Deanland Wood Park in Hailsham where she lived with her 87-year-old husband Ron.

They had been told she had fallen while making tea but the inquest heard nobody checked to see if the water that Mrs Wain had spilt on herself during the fall was boiling hot or cold.

It later emerged in the DGH that Mrs Wain, who suffered with dementia, had severe burns from boiling water that was spilt and it is believed that although she was prescribed painkillers, her overall health deteriorated and she later died.

Mrs Wain’s two daughters attended the inquest and said they could not understand why no medical staff had noticed the burns.

A post mortem revealed Mrs Wain had also suffered a bleed to the brain.

Mrs Wain was a retired catering manager.

Mr Healy-Pratt said at the conclusion of the inquest, “Something went very wrong here. This lady was suffering from burns which were not noticed at the time by first responders, paramedics and A&E staff. It was many hours later they were discovered.

“I will be writing to South East Coast Ambulance Service. The burns clearly contributed to this lady’s stress and well-being.”