Elderly Bognor woman died from complications with osteoporosis

Olive Johnson, 87, from Mill View Close, Pagham, died at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester on March 27 after suffering a haemorrhage.

It was caused by a fractured rib which could have been a result of as little as rolling over in bed, because of the severity of her osteoporosis.

Pathologist Dr Juliet Conroy told the inquest in Chichester last Thursday (September 10) the fracture could have occurred several days previously.

She described the osteoporosis Mrs Johnson suffered from as one of the worst cases she had seen.

A post mortem examination also revealed she was suffering from acute pancreatitis, which had not been diagnosed by doctors, but was something they planned to investigate.

In the days before her death, she had been transported between St Richard's and Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, and refused to use a hoist that would help her into bed, meaning staff would have to pick her up.

Her son Robert Johnson said his mother had complained to him about being 'roughly manhandled' by staff.

She was originally taken to hospital after suffering a shortness of breath.

West Sussex coroner Penelope Schofield said: "The cause of her rib fracture we have heard could be something you could do rolling over in bed leaning on a hand.

"I'm going to record on the balance of probability that Olive Johnson died from natural causes."

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