Reading hospital mental health unit investigated after choking deaths

Staff at a hospital where three patients had choking-related deaths did not know which foods were suitable for soft food diets, a watchdog has found.

Concerns over the deaths in 2017 prompted the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to visit Prospect Park Hospital in Reading unannounced.

Berkshire NHS Trust has launched a separate investigation into the deaths.

It said it was unable to make a comment on the report as the three cases were going before jury-led inquests.

The most recent death at the hospital's Bluebell Ward - a mental health care unit - involved a patient who had been put on soft foods after an incident of choking.

The woman, in her 60s, had been referred for a speech and language therapist assessment (SALT) which recommended she followed the restricted diet.

The CQC said in its report: "The SALT recommended the patient for a soft diet, however staff did not understand what foods were suitable for a patient on a soft diet.

"The information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of physical health care on the ward and the updating of risk assessments and care plans following incidents."

The woman's death was the third fatality relating to choking in the six months prior to the inspection in October 2017.

The report also found staff did not always record any refusal by patients to receive help for physical problems and that the recording of patients' food and fluid intake was inconsistent.

It also said access to the controlled drugs cabinet needed to be tightened.

The CQC recommended staff in the acute and intensive care psychiatric wards receive training about choking and special diets.