A coroner will ask Airedale Hospital Trust to look into the case of an injured man who died after being discharged from the hospital twice in the days before his death.

Stephen Whitaker, 57, of Agnes Street, Keighley, died on August 15, only days after he was diagnosed with broken ribs following a fall in his home after drinking.

Yesterday an inquest determined the cause of his death was accidental, but related to his alcohol intake.

But Coroner Dominic Bell questioned whether the hospital staff, who treated Mr Whitaker, had done all they could to help him after the injury. Evidence given to the coroner showed that Mr Whitaker had told doctors he was an alcoholic, had memory problems and felt let down by the help he was receiving at home to deal with his problems, and Dr Bell questioned if any of these issues had been followed up.

Father-of-two Mr Whitaker fell in his home on August 10, and visited Airedale Hospital’s accident and emergency department shortly after. He was told he had likely suffered a broken rib and was discharged.

Two days later, he returned to the hospital after the pain from his injuries increased. He was given an X ray and doctors found he had three broken ribs and injuries to his chest. He was again discharged on the 13th.

He went to stay with his daughter, Sara Whitaker, and was found dead on the morning of the 15th. A post-mortem examination revealed the injuries had caused a haemorrhage in his chest.

Dr Bell decided Mr Whitaker had died because of the injuries he sustained during the fall, but these had been exacerbated by his alcoholism.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, he added: “I have some inescapable concerns. Mr Whitaker was discharged on the first instance without recognising the significance of his injuries and then discharged a second time.

“He had spoken of the poor social support and if he hadn’t been at his daughters, he might well have died alone and in isolation without proper support.

“There is no evidence a check of his liver functions was carried out, and there appears no obvious check as to his social circumstances. There was no obvious consideration of what the impact would be of further falls on this significant injury.”

He said he would write to the medical director of the hospital trust highlighting the issues, asking it to investigate and whether action needs to be taken to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

After the hearing, Andrew Catto, executive medical director for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We send our sincere sympathies to his family. As a learning organisation we are committed to ensuring that comments from the coroner will be carefully considered by our senior clinical team.”