AN ELDERLY woman died following a fall at a care home, an inquest heard.

Elsie Brooks, 92, fell over at High Brake House care home, Clitheroe, on September 29 this year, and broke her hip.

The hearing at Preston Corner's Court heard she had also developed pneumonia and was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital and placed on antibiotics.

On October 2, she had an operation, but despite this her pneumonia worsened and she was transferred to end of life care at East Lancashire Hospice in Park Lee Road, Blackburn, on October 13.

Ms Brooks, who was born in Warrington in 1925, died later that day.

Dr Karen Hogarth, of East Lancashire Hospice, said: "The cause of her death was community acquired pneumonia and a myocardial infarction and fractured neck of femur (broken hip)."

High Brake House care home, of Chatburn Road, said in a statement that Ms Brooks had been found by a staff member in her room on the floor sat on her bottom.

She said her frame had also fallen over and that she had been on the floor for five minutes and that she had simply lost her balance.

The care home said paramedics were then called and she was taken to hospital.

East Lancashire assistant coroner Richard Taylor said that Ms Brooks' death was accidental.

Mr Taylor said: "Given the circumstances, I would say the cause of her death was accidental following a fall at High Brake House care home.

"Ms Brooks died of community acquired pneumonia and a myocardial infarction and fractured neck of femur at East Lancashire Hospice on October 13 this year."