PATIENTS at risk of falling are being given knitted slippers at Salisbury District Hospital after the deaths of two elderly women in four days.

Daphne Lodge, 78, from Allington, first had a fall on October 18, 2015, after having been admitted to the hospital three days earlier, suffering from pneumonia.

Mrs Lodge told staff she had been trying to close the toilet door when she fell back, hitting her head but her symptoms were not thought to be the result of a significant head injury.

With the bed rails up, staff placed a bell within her reach and made arrangements for her to be accompanied by staff when she needed the toilet.

The retired personnel manager who also suffered from kidney and bladder cancer then had a further fall in the early hours of October 25 when she tried to take herself to the toilet.

She told staff she had not hurt herself and both physiological and neurological assessments showed there was nothing to indicate she had.

But her health began to deteriorate and she died a little while later. A post mortem showed there was a large bruise under the skin which was not visible externally.

Doctors believe this was caused by Mrs Lodge's first fall with the second fall causing a rebleed and a more significant injury resulting in her death.

The inquest heard that even if a CT scan had been undertaken and the head injury found, Mrs Lodge would not have been a candidate for surgery.

A subsequent hospital investigation recommended the need to reassess bed rails as a patient's condition changes, to involve senior staff sooner in a second opinion and to trial the use of knitted slippers with rubber soles for patients to wear in bed, allowing them to get out more safely.

Ida Rose Ings, 93, who was a retired cook from Fordingbridge, died after having a fall at the hospital on October 28, 2015.

Admitted on October 16 with a history of increasing confusion and falls, her condition improved and she was due to be discharged but in the early hours of October 28, she fell while trying to use a commode by her bed.

A bump was noted on her head and when her health started to deteriorate, she was taken for a CT scan which showed a large cerebral haemorrhage and she died shortly after.

Both inquests took place at Salisbury Coroner's Court last Wednesday with coroner Ian Singleton recording them as accidental deaths.