A GRIEVING family told an inquest they had witnessed their grandmother being fed mashed potato at Blackburn Royal Hospital when she should have been ‘nil by mouth’.

Irene Emms granddaughter also claimed that prior to her death, the 86-year-old was “not fed or given any water for five to six days”.

But a coroner has ruled that the ultimate cause of Mrs Emms’ death was aspiration pneumonia, not directly related to her treatment.

And a consultant pathologist who carried out the post mortem on Mrs Emms, said there were no obvious signs of malnourishment or dehydration.

Mrs Emms, of Burton Gardens, Brierfield, was admitted to the hospital in October last year, suffering from an oesophageal pouch, which meant she felt as though she was choking when she ate and drank.

A percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube was inserted to help with feeding, but she died several days later.

Although Mrs Emms’ relatives accepted her treatment did not lead to her death, her granddaughter Lisa Bates said a series of events during her time in hospital had caused her grandmother much discomfort.

Because of the nature of her condition, Mrs Emms should not have been given anything to eat orally, the inquest was told by Robert Watson, a consultant general surgeon at the hospital.

Mrs Bates said: “I observed nurses giving her food when I understood she was to be nil by mouth.

“They gave her mashed potato and something else.

“When I asked a nurse about it she asked us to put the signs up ourselves - it should have already been up.”

Mrs Bates said on the second ward her grandmother was treated on, she was not fed or given any water for five to six days.

She said: “She started hallucinating and going mad because she had not had anything put in her.

“She was forgetting things and saying ‘they are not my family’ and I started crying.”

But Dr Stephen Mills, consultant pathologist at Wigan Infirmary, who carried out the post mortem on Mrs Emms, said there were no obvious signs of malnourishment or dehydration.

Mrs Emms, a retired factory worker, died on October 27 last year.

Coroner Mr Singleton, who recorded a narrative verdict, said: “2011 was a very unhappy year and Mrs Emms had a very distressing time.

“Despite appropriate treatment being provided, what came could not have been worse and I recognise the distress that causes to the family.”

Lynn Wissett, deputy chief executive and chief nurse at East Lancashire Hospital Trust, said: “To date we have had no direct contact with the family to whom we offer our sincere condolences on their loss.

“As always, if there are any concerns with the care and treatment that was received at our hospitals we would be happy to discuss these directly with the family and would urge them to contact us as soon as possible to allow them to discuss their concerns.”