OAP's death: Trusts must pay £45,000 (From Barry And District News)

OAP's death: Trusts must pay £45,000

TWO health trusts must pay out more than £45,000 after a frail elderly woman died in hospital weeks after an ambulance dropped her off at the wrong address.

Mary Purnell, 93, was being taken home - along with other patients - from the Morfa Day Centre at Barry Hospital in August 2003.

But she was left by the crew at Wesley Court, Dinas Powys, instead of being taken to her correct address at Fairfield Road, Penarth, some miles away.

The ambulance crew were said to have been "unfamiliar with the passengers and the route".

Mrs Purnell, who suffered with dementia, fell and broke her leg after trying to leave the property, and died at the University Hospital of Wales five weeks later of bronchial pneumonia and leukaemia.

The error was only realised when the crew dropped off another woman at Mrs Purnell's correct address.

The Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust was last week fined £20,000 and the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust £7,500 after admitting failure to discharge their duty of care by exposing patients to serious risk of injury.

Both trusts will share costs of £17,697.

Cardiff Crown Court heard on Friday that both trusts have since reviewed their practices.

Tom Leeper, defending the Welsh Ambulance Service, said that the trust's policy has been altered so that patients are correctly identified before they are dropped off.

A spokeswoman for the family said that although they felt this was a tragic incident that never should have happened, they were pleased with the outcome and that matters have drawn to a conclusion.