Hospitals Trust 'improving procedures' following Worksop woman's neglect death
Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS FoundationTrust is working to improve its care procedures, after neglect was found to have contributed to a woman's death at Bassetlaw Hospital
The family of the late Eunice Mair Brookes of Carlton-in-Lindrick made a call for lasting improvements in patient safety at Bassetlaw Hospital, following an inquest which found multiple serious failures in her care.
Eunice Brookes ran a corner shop on Priorswell Road in Worksop for 20 plus years before she retired to the village of Carlton in Lindrick.
She was 82 when she was admitted to Bassetlaw Hospital on September 3, 2025 with severe vomiting and abdominal pain.
Her condition worsened and despite her family raising concerns about her care, she died in hospital five days later.
Following an inquest into her death in July this year, the assistant coroner for Nottinghamshire, Dr Elizabeth Didcock, issued a prevention of future deaths report to highlight areas needing urgent improvement.
This was sent to Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Bassetlaw Hospital.
Neglect did contribute to Eunice's death, Dr Didcock concluded, with serious failures logged in fluid balance monitoring, delays in diagnosis and pain management, identifying deterioration, and obtaining senior surgical review at weekends and out of hours.
Mrs Brookes' daughter, Gail, said she and her siblings had watched their mother's condition deteriorate and "kept raising concerns, but nothing changed."
The Coroner found that the blockage and twisting of a hiatus hernia had not been recognised and treated as it should have been, concluding that had this happened, "on balance she would not have died when she did."
Another of Mrs Brookes' daughters, Tracey, said: "Good basic care should never be something patients or families have to fight for. We need to see real, lasting improvements so that other patients don't go through what Mum did."
Since Mrs Brookes' death, her family has been working with the Trust to help prevent similar failures in care, and has created two digital learning stories, both now being used in staff training.
One highlights the importance of accurate fluid balance monitoring. The second focuses on listening to patients and families when they raise concerns about deterioration, and why Martha's Rule is so important.
Daughter, Fiona, said: "Mum could talk for England! So when she stopped talking, we knew something was seriously wrong...but staff didn’t react to our concerns or recognise just how significant that change was.”
"Clinical observations matter, but so does listening to the people who know the patient best."
The family has welcomed discussions and improvements already introduced by DBTH, including weekday consultant cover on Ward A4, pain management and additional staff education.
They remain committed to working with the Trust, while emphasising the importance of continued scrutiny to ensure improvements last.
Mrs Brookes' son, Robert, said: "The Trust has made important commitments to improve patient safety and we genuinely want them to succeed.
"We need the Trust Board, NHS England, the ICBs and regulators to continue asking for evidence that patients are safer – not just now, but in the years ahead."
Dr Nick Mallaband, Chief Medical Officer at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: “I am very sorry for the failures in Eunice’s care and the distress caused to her family, whose concerns should have been heard and acted upon. We accept the coroner’s findings.
“Since 2025, we have strengthened consultant cover on Ward A4, improved pain management and provided additional education for colleagues.
"We are addressing fluid monitoring and the recognition of deterioration, and have put arrangements in place for patients at Bassetlaw Hospital to be assessed on site by the surgical team, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Eunice’s family has made a significant contribution to this work. We are grateful for their support in helping colleagues learn from their experience and understand the importance of listening to patients, relatives and advocates.
“To strengthen this further, we adopted Martha’s Rule this summer, giving patients and families another way to request an independent review if someone’s condition is worsening and their concerns are not being addressed.
"We remain committed to working closely with Eunice’s family and ensuring these changes deliver measurable, lasting improvements in care.”