A care home has been urged to review its procedures after a resident died partly due to burns sustained after spilling a hot drink on their lap.

Coroner John Hobson issued the call following an inquest into the death of Blanche Knowles formerly of HC-One’s Colton Lodges Nursing Home in Leeds.

The inquest heard Mrs Knowles was admitted for general nursing care with a number of health conditions on 7 November 2022.

Mrs Knowles suffered burns after she spilled a hot drink on her lap after it had not been adequately checked by a staff member.

The inquest heard Mrs Knowles had not been treated with cooling water for 20 minutes.

Coroner Hobson said: “The burns suffered by Blanche contributed to the cause of her death and whilst it was not established that the recorded failure to apply ‘cooling by running water’ to her injuries would have made a material difference, I remain concerned that the clear importance of applying ‘cooling by running water’ does not appear to be proactively flagged in relevant policies/procedures or by active practical/operational communications to staff.”

A spokesperson for Colton Lodges said: “Our thoughts remain with Mrs Knowles’s family and friends at what we know will be a difficult time for them.

“The health and safety of our residents is of the utmost importance to us, and we have taken this matter extremely seriously since it occurred last year.

“We are reviewing the coroner’s recommendation and will be working to update our first aid policy to better support residents with mobility needs if they have suffered a burn.”