A FRACTURED hip that went undetected for months accelerated the death of great-grandmother Olive Rice, an inquest has heard.

At the Wiltshire Coroner’s Court, in Trowbridge on Tuesday Peter Hatvany, the deputy coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon, recorded a narrative verdict on the death of 96-year-old Mrs Rice.

Mrs Rice, of Salzgitter Court, a sheltered housing complex, in Toothill, died on December 19, 2007 at the Great Western Hospital.

Mr Hatvany said: “Old age was the primary cause of Mrs Rice’s death.

“A fractured hip accelerated Mrs Rice’s demise.”

Reaching a narrative verdict, the coroner said Mrs Rice had been in exceptionally good health for her advanced years, living in warden-assisted flat. Prior to the summer of 2007, Mrs Rice had been active and was fiercely independent, looking after herself.

Her granddaughter, Hefina Davies, of Northampton, told the coroner: “She was in service at the age of 13 and 14 and was independent and very strong willed and would not make a fuss. That’s the last thing she’d do.”

The family, including her great granddaughter Kim Wakefield, regularly visited but became concerned in the summer of 2007 when they found Mrs Rice was sleeping in her chair, was unwell and had developed a sore on her leg.

Mrs Davies said her grandmother rarely went saw a doctor as she would rather deal with things herself.

In July 2007 it emerged Mrs Rice suffered a fall which resulted in a fracture to the neck of the femur of her right leg.

After hearing evidence Mr Hatvany said: “Mrs Rice was not one to make a fuss because she had a fear of going to hospital. She denied suffering a trauma when questioned.”

But between July and December 2007 her health deteriorated and she suffered groin pain, had difficulty walking, was unwell, and had a problem with a wound on her right leg which would not completely heal.

On December 8 the Central Swindon Crisis Nursing Team intervened and she was admitted to Cheriton Nursing Home, in Westlecot Road.

Mr Hatvany said: “On December 5, 2007 Mrs Rice was sent for a V/Q scan to check for deep vein thrombosis, which was clear.

“A subsequent physical examination by a GP for a swollen right leg did not fully explore the possibility of a fracture as no history of any fall was made known to the GP and there was nothing to indicate any traumatic episode.”

The inquest heard the possibility of a fractured hip was only detected when GP Dr Mauro Bassanino visited her at the nursing home on December 13 because of her ongoing hip pain.

He examined her out of her wheelchair and an X-ray revealed she had suffered a displaced fracture of the hip.