Five-figure settlement after pensioner died after drinking bottle of hand gel in hospital

John Haughey, 76, was admitted to ward 80 at Hull Royal Infirmary with what was believed to be a chest infection, after becoming increasingly confused at home.

On the fifth day of his stay he drank a 535ml bottle of Purell hand sanitizer from the bottle on his bed.

As his blood alcohol levels soared to between 35 to 40 units - the equivalent of a 13 pints of strong lager - he became "agitated and violent", according to an internal investigation, and had to be restrained by medical and security staff, who injected him with a sedative.

By the time his daughter Diane Atkin arrived she found her father "unconscious" and "covered in bruises."

He died six days after the incident, on September 12, after developing bronchopnuemonia, due to acute alcohol toxicity.

The case led to calls for a national review by coroner Prof Paul Marks who wrote to NHS England and bodies including The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, concerned there could be further deaths. He said while incidents were "thankfully rare" "similar tragedies could occur given the now ubiquitous presence of such handwashing gels and their dispensers."

Ms Atkin said: "He went into hospital for his safety, rapidly went downhill and never came out. When the incident happened we didn't learn about it until four hours later.

"They then just left him in a room and didn't monitor or support him as they should.

"He had bruising on his chest like somebody had sat on him and bruising to his wrists."

She said evidence emerged in the inquest suggesting a nurse had been aggressive towards her father when he was in intensive care.

She said:"Questions have to be asked about the standard of elderly care and the differences between wards. It is not acceptable."

Michelle Tebbutt, of Hudgell Solictors, which acted for Mr Haughey's family, said it was a "truly tragic" case which highlighted many areas of concern over the safety of confused patients on wards.

The tragedy has led to the latest NHS England guidance stressing the need for risk assessments where gels are placed close to vulnerable patients.

NHS Improvement is also looking to make changes, including exploring designs which limit the amount of gel dispensers release.

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals Trust has since introduced lockable wall-mounted dispensers and issued staff with mini bottles of hand wash.

The Coroner said he was satisfied the local hospital trust had taken steps to prevent similar accidents occurring in future.

Mike Wright, Executive Chief Nurse said: “We would like to offer our apologies and our sincere condolences to Mr Haughey’s family for their loss and for the distress they have experienced.

“Whilst acknowledging that the standard of care provided did not meet that which the Trust strives to achieve, we hope Mr Haughey’s family take comfort from knowing that subsequent actions taken by the trust have been robust, and that HM Senior Coroner for Hull, Professor Paul Marks, is satisfied that those actions will prevent similar incidents occurring in the future.”