AN INQUEST has heard how a concerned husband had earlier warned staff on a mental health ward that his wife's food needed blending before she choked to death.

A paramedic who was called to revive collapsed 60-year-old Shirley Mary Clarke described having to clear sliced mushrooms that were stopping her from breathing while she was an in-patient on the Heather Ward at the Airedale Centre, run by Bradford District Care Trust.

Despite best efforts and getting Mrs Clarke to the A&E department on the other side of the hospital site in Skipton Road, Steeton, she could not be saved.

Yesterday, the Bradford inquest heard the incident, which happened on August 15 three years ago, was subject to a serious incident report.

In a statement, Paramedic Alexandra Roberts said she arrived to find people on the ward standing round Mrs Clark, of Greatwood Avenue, Skipton, who was on the floor. When she asked if anyone had tried to clear her airways, no one answered.

A statement read out on behalf of Mrs Clarke's husband Alan, who was in court with a legal representative, detailed how he had mentioned to ward staff that he was concerned about his wife struggling to swallow and eat and had asked to make sure her food was blended, mashed or finely chopped.

"I was told she was eating everything but I stressed I wanted it blending or chopped finely," he said.

He also described how another patient had once approached him to say she had to be hit on her back while having a meal because she was choking on food.

Mr Clarke said his wife had told staff she was struggling to swallow and been told "You're still here aren't you?"

The inquest also heard from consultant neurologist Dr Mark Busby that they were trying to wean Mrs Clarke off her Lithium medication because of bi-polar, anxiety problems and slurred speech problems she was having.

Dr Busby said he thought there was "sufficient evidence" from what had been heard that Mrs Clarke did have bulbar dysfunction, where the muscles that help speech and swallowing functions are impaired and it could be a feature of Lithium toxicity, although there was no suggestion lithium had been an inappropriate treatment for her mental health problems.

"It's often very effective and patients are reluctant to be withdrawn from it," he added.

The inquest, which continues today, heard a number of professionals were aware of her problem and that the serious incident report had found there had been a missed opportunity for her to have a speech and language review which would have looked at her swallowing ability.

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