A PENSIONER suffered a broken neck after falling from her wheelchair in a nursing home, a court heard.

Mary Devine, 89, was being pushed down a ramp at Greenbank Nursing Home when she tumbled from the chair, fracturing her spine.

The wheelchair-bound great grandmother had been in the process of being taken to her room following dinner when the accident happened in May 2005.

Staff had initially thought she'd suffered minor bruising from the fall and returned her to the room for treatment.

The accident led to a review of care and training at the home in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, which questioned the lack of footplates and posture belts being used at the home.

A fatal accident inquiry at Hamilton Sheriff Court last week heard that Mrs Devine died nine days after her fall of bronchial pneumonia.

Nicola Lees, 25, a care assistant at Greenbank, told how she was returning Mrs Devine to her room when the pensioner suddenly shot forward.

She said: "She had difficulty with her sight and was taken everywhere in a wheelchair. She said she preferred to sit in the chair.

"I was taking her down the slope back to her room but had to stop because there were other people in front of me. It wasn't a sudden stop but at that moment she came out of the chair.

"It was not expected and it was a very sudden movement.

"I don't know what caused her to come out of the chair. I had taken her down the ramp slowly, as normal.

"All I remember is that she was lying on her left side with her back facing the radiator. She had knocked her head...possibly on the radiator itself.

"She had bruising to her head and on her hand.

"Myself and a colleague managed to get her back on the chair and gave her first aid. She initially said she felt fine and didn't want to go to hospital.

"But a doctor was called that evening when she began to complain of a sore head."

Mrs Devine was taken to Wishaw General Hospital where she remained until her death on May 27, 2005.

Dr John Clark, a forensic pathologist at Glasgow University, told the court that Mrs Devine had died of "well developed bronchial pneumonia" caused by her tumble.

He said: "The post mortem confirmed to me she had died from bronchial pneumonia caused by a fracture of her cervical spine.

The probe before Sheriff Joyce Powrie heard how a lack of both footplates and posture belts would have played a major part in the accident.

Ian Wilson, director of Greenbank Nursing Home, told the court he had ordered a review of care procedures throughout the home after Mrs Devine died.

Mr Wilson, 57, said: "Prior to the accident we did not believe there was an area of risk when moving residents around in wheelchairs, except if the individual had specific mental or physical disabilities.

"There was a verbal policy that footplates should be used. Looking back, I don't think we explained to staff how important they were.

"In terms of using posture belts we considered that to be restraining the resident, which would have been abuse. To put a belt on as a precaution was not acceptable, there had to be a specific reason.

"However we realised, after Mrs Devine's accident, that the lack of footplates and a posture belt could have been a factor in her fall. We changed the procedure immediately.

"If Mrs Devine's chair had been fitted with those plates and belt, I believe the accident would never have happened.

"That is the biggest lesson we've learned from this."

Outside court Mrs Devine's family, sons Thomas, 70, and William, 62, and daughters Margaret, 67, and Barbara, 68, said they hoped that lessons would be learned from their mother's death.

Thomas Devine said: "We will never know the exact reason why my mother came out of the chair. But I hope that there have been lessons learned her death."

Sheriff Powrie told the court her determination would be delivered at a later date.