Woman dies after life support power supply runs out of batteries

Jacqueline Scott died after her ventilator stopped working and the nurses didn't recognise the sound of the alarms, an inquest has heard

A circuit in the machine - meaning it was running on batteries which eventually ran out (Getty Images)

A woman died after the power supply for her life support machine went off and then ran out of batteries, an inquest has heard.

Jacqueline Scott died after the ventilator keeping her breathing shut down - despite several loud alarms warning staff the power supply was failing.

A jury inquest at the Royal Courts of Justice in London heard that despite the alarm sounding, a nurse did not recognise the sound because no ventilator had ever run out of power before.

The 55-year-old died later the same day at St George’s Hospital in Tooting in south west London in March 2015.

Ms Scott was on a ventilator plugged into a wall socket but the circuit blew - meaning it was running on batteries which eventually ran out, ITV News reports.

Her call bell was also faulty at some point, the inquest heard.

Dr Renate Wendler, who led the investigation into Ms Scott’s death, told the jury of six men and three women that she "found evidence of good practice and care."

She said the delay in calling for help did not have “anything to do with the outcome of Ms Scott’s case” and it was “not realistic” to expect nurses to know the power had been disrupted.

Dr Wendler said they had studied the design of the machine and found it was “not intuitive”.

Ms Scott’s son told the inquest they "appreciated" everyone who had contributed to his mother’s care and he said the family was "really grateful" for all their effort.

The jurdy returned a verdict of natural death.

The hospital has since ensured all nurses are given formal training on how to use the equipment and the alarms which sound when it’s power supply is disrupted.