Coroner's Inquiry After Patient Found Dead

Dr. Robinson reported that the workhouse infirmary was very overcrowded. In consequence an extra eight beds had been supplied Dr. Robinson said the consequence of this was very unsatisfactory for nursing the sick, especially at night.

Rotherhams Workhouse, Would Later Be Known As Moorgate Hospital These comments may have been to ease the blow following the coroner's inquiry into a patient's death at the workhouse. A young man John Howard had been found dead on the floor of a ward in the Workhouse Hospital, he had been suffering from bronchitis. He had died on the night of 19th December 1905 with a number of violent injuries upon his face. The coroner caused enquiries to be made into the matter by the police and the understanding that the medical officer Dr. Robinson had attended the man on the day of his death being in ignorance of the circumstances of the death and the marks of violence on his face. The death certificate gave the cause of death as bronchitis and the man was quickly buried.
The Master of the workhouse and two or three of the nursing staff and several inmates were aware of these marks of violence prior to the funeral taking place. The Coroner complained that under the circumstances the death should have been reported to him where an inquest undoubtedly would have been held. It was considered whether it was necessary to hold an inquest and whether his body should be exhumed. The Guardians set up a full inquiry into the matter.

The Union Clerk read a number of statements from the institutions nursing staff. A summary was passed on to the chairman of the Hospital Committee. John Howard fell from the bed on to the floor and was found with blood on this cheek by Nurse Newton who called upon the superintendent Nurse Boyd. Miss Boyd declined to go to the ward where the dead man lay. Her statement read that it had not been usual for the superintendent to be called up in the night which the death of a patient took place, unless there were very exceptional circumstances.

The Union Clerk reported back to the Local Government Board saying he had carefully considered the statements together with those supplied to me by the police, and he decided that it is not necessary to exhume the deceased body (Without which no inquest could be held) He was satisfied that the man had died from natural causes or from an accident. A special meeting of the hospital committee was held on 8th February 1906 as several matters had come out of the recent investigation. Nurse Newton and Sharpe were dismissed from the service of the Guardians. Nurses Lund and Eden would continue serving the Board for a certain period and during that time their duties to the satisfaction of the Guardians.
Two week later two probationer nurses who recently passed their examination were called into the Boardroom and presented by the chairman with their certificates. Dr. Martin spoke in the highest terms of the probationers and the manner in which they had gone through the examination. He said there was a credit to any Union and he had not the slightest doubt that their future would be most successful, especially if they improved upon the training they had had. By April three of new probationer nurses were employed nurses Jackson, Moody and Newsome were appointed on a salary of Ł27 10s annual increments would lead to a maximum of Ł32 per annum. At the same time Dr. Robinson drew the committees attention to the fact that the healthy children at the Workhouse were mixed up with those who are in poor health. The Workhouse had also been closed to visitors for a month, owing to the prevalence of Scarlet Fever in the district.

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Š Neil and Janet Croft 2005