A HAMPSHIRE health boss has apologised to a grieving family after a doctor failed to spot a pensioner had broken her neck when she fell down some stairs.

Marie Cliffe was admitted to Winchester’s Royal Hampshire County Hospital after the accident at her daughter’s home in Durley following her 88th birthday.

An inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court heard how the widow was examined by Dr Rabie Mohamad who missed the fracture at the top of her neck and told her family she should go home. But the former shop owner was kept in for observation after her daughter, Beren Cliffe-Roberts, raised concerns with a junior doctor about her mother’s distress.

Hours later another doctor spotted the fracture but her condition deteriorated and she was transferred to spinal experts at Southampton General Hospital.

Mrs Cliffe, who suffered from mild dementia, of Lower Lane, Bishop’s Waltham, died the following day.

Recording a narrative verdict central Hampshire coroner Grahame Short said that national guidelines had not been followed.

He said: “The death was as a result of the injuries to her spine. The removal of her neck collar caused the fracture to become unstable and may have contributed to the death but this can’t be concluded from the evidence from the witnesses in this inquest.”

The court heard how Dr Mohamad, who had received a number of complaints from staff and patients about his attitude, ignored a junior doctor’s concerns about an X-ray that did not show the whole spine.

He claimed he adjusted the contrast on a monitor to see the X-ray more clearly before making the decision to discharge her following the fall in August last year. He then removed the widow’s neck collar before telling Mrs Cliffe’s daughter she had a muscular injury. The fracture was picked up by Dr Ari Pillai after he arrived on duty and took over Mrs Cliffe’s care.

He was thanked in court by Mrs Cliffe-Roberts for his support and his treatment of her mother.

Dr Chris Gordon, acting chief executive of Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “We are sorry for the sadness and distress caused to Mrs Cliffe’s family.

“The fact that a serious injury was missed by a doctor who once worked for us is a source of shock and huge regret.

“I would like to reassure readers that the trust has some of the best rates in the country where safety is concerned.

“Mrs Cliffe’s case is, thankfully, incredibly rare but we realise that this is of little comfort to her family – to whom we repeat our condolences.”

A spokesman for the trust added that the organisation has now reviewed its training and raised the prominence of guidelines around the treatment of suspected head and neck injuries.

Dr Mohamad left the Trust last April.