Family 'destroyed' after mum chokes to death on ham sandwich she wasn't supposed to have

David Preston, from County Durham, has slammed Ventress Hall care home after his wife Brenda was wrongly fed a ham sandwich despite her being placed on a soft mash diet

A beloved mum choked to death on a ham sandwich after an "entirely preventable" incident at a care home where she'd once worked before becoming a resident.

Brenda Preston, 73, who was on a "soft mash" diet, tragically died three days after she was handed the sandwich at Ventress Hall care home in Darlington, County Durham. The mother was given the food item by a new member of staff, who failed to check her care plan beforehand.

The pensioner was left physically and mentally disabled after she fell ill with bacterial meningitis in 2001. Prior to her change in health, the mum had herself worked as a carer at Ventress Hall. Her family thought the care home would be the perfect fit but said instead, their lives have been "completely destroyed" due to incompetence.

An inquest found that as well as giving Brenda a prohibited food item, the new carer didn't stay to monitor her whilst eating. Brenda was unable to properly swallow her food and was discovered by a nurse as her lips turned blue. She sadly died three days later at Darlington Memorial Hospital, from severe bronchial pneumonia and gastric aspiration on February 28.

Brenda's family are now determined to ensure that mistakes made in Brenda's care are not repeated. They want change at Ventress Hall and across Care UK's network of residences. David, Brenda's heartbroken husband, said that there had been mistakes at mealtimes before - but as he spent every day with her, helping to feed her, he had always been there to catch them. He said: "She was my entire life. She was the only girlfriend I ever had. When we were in Covid lockdown, I would stand at her window and tell her I loved her. I am in pieces now she is gone." The family say that "nothing can fix the mistakes made", but they want to ensure that "nothing like this can happen again" by raising awareness through Brenda's story.

Daughter Leigh-Anne said: "Nothing will bring my mam back. The one thing you should never have to worry about when you've got a family in care is their safety. I know accidents happen, it is only human, but this was entirely preventable. It was an absolute failure. They fed something to my mam that killed her - that's unforgivable. I blame the management at Ventress Hall one hundred per cent. My dad has been absolutely broken by this. He tells me every day that he doesn't want to be here without her. I need someone to answer for that."

Dianna Coy, the regional director of Care UK, which runs Ventress Hall, said: "We again offer our condolences to the family of Mrs Preston. We pride ourselves on offering kind, safe care to all residents in our homes such that whenever a safety incident occurs, we carry out a thorough investigation to identify any areas of learning within the home. We have already implemented several improvements to avoid this happening again and will further reflect on the findings of the inquest. This home is currently rated “good” by the Care Quality Commission."

Diane Encinias, the home’s manager, said that changes had been made to prevent similar incidents in future, such as a new visual reminder on residents’ bedroom doors about their care plans; a training presentation for all staff on choking risks; and discussions of every patient’s needs at handover.