Ambulance bosses have apologised to the grieving family of a much-loved gran who fell off a stretcher and hit her head hours before her death.

Christine Faunch died from a ruptured spleen – but experts told an inquest this was most likely not caused when she dropped to the concrete while being carried by paramedics.

The 75-year-old, from Dover, has been described as an ‘incredible woman’ who was the ‘heart’ of her family.

Despite battling medical conditions, she was mobile and independent, and had recetly returned from a cruise.

But the inquest at Oakwood House in Maidstone heard she had been feeling weak in the five days leading up to her death – believed to be due to a stomach bug.

On August 27, 2025, she became lightheaded and unable to leave her bed, prompting her daughter Donna to call an ambulance.

When paramedics arrived about 30 minutes later, Christine could not sit up without feeling that she might faint.

She had also become hot and clammy, but cold to the touch. One of the South East Coast Ambulance service (SECAmb) crew members at the scene, Susi Lonergan, told the inquest she did an abdominal assessment and found no abnormalities, while Christine said she was not in any pain.

Paramedics could not get the stretcher into her bedroom so used a wheelchair to transport her to the hallway. Christine fell unconscious when sitting in the wheelchair.

Before she could be moved onto the stretcher, she stopped breathing. The second paramedic at the scene, Julian MacDonald, said he wanted to get her into the ambulance ‘rapidly’ for treatment.

In the rush, only the leg and waist straps were fastened, leaving her top half unsecured.

Once the crew got outside, Christine began having seizure-like movements due to lack of oxygen.

Mr MacDonald recalled: ‘I’m behind her, the stretcher raised up in front of me. What I saw was a lurch to the left and as we know she then made contact with the concrete.’

The wheels of the stretcher also kept locking, with the paramedic saying they had ‘real difficulty’ in getting her into the vehicle.

Donna and a neighbour also witnessed Christine’s head being hit against the door of the ambulance and equipment inside.

The ordeal left her with two lacerations to her forehead. In a statement written after the incident, Ms Lonergan said she sincerely apologised to the family for the fall.

She was taken to William Harvey Hospital, in Ashford, where her condition began to deteriorate.

Scans showed a ruptured spleen and catastrophic bleeding and doctors told her family there was nothing they could do.

A post-mortem revealed a tear on the spleen capsule and two litres of free blood. Much of the inquest centred on whether the fall could have caused the spleen injury, as her left side hit the edge of the stretcher.

Experts gave evidence, including haematology consultant Dr Allameddine Allameddine.

She also had calcification of her arteries, meaning they can burst more easily.

Dr Allameddine said: ‘(The bleeding) was probably progressive, continual. The overall clinical picture is more supportive of the haemorrhage occurring before the fall.

‘Whether it coincided with the fall from the stretcher, it is more likely it happened before because Christine was extremely unwell before the fall.’

He and another expert, emergency medicine consultant Dr Magnus Nelson from SECAmb, said this prior trauma could have been caused by something as simple as a bout of coughing, bumping into a kitchen counter, or shifting from a bed to a chair.

At the inquest, Christine’s family questioned the theory that the trauma happened prior to the ambulance’s attendance, as she had not informed them of any bumps, and had no visible bruises .

Dr Allameddine also said it was possible that a tear had already occurred and was bleeding, and that the fall then caused it to rupture.

Coroner Katrina Hepburn ultimately reached a conclusion of ‘accidental death’.

After the hearing, Christine’s family issued a statement paying tribute to the ‘much-loved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend’.

Describing the year since her death as one of their most difficult periods, they said: ‘Christine was the heart of her family. She was kind, caring and completely devoted to those she loved. The loss she has left is impossible to put into words.’

They said that while the inquest’s conclusion cannot bring her back, it allows them to look to the future and celebrate her legacy.

‘Christine will remain forever in the hearts of those who loved her. She is missed every day and will never be forgotten,’ the family said.

They also thanked everyone who has supported them, including friends, family and the local community who have been a ‘great comfort’ and shown ‘kindness, compassion and understanding’.

A SECAmb spokesperson said their thoughts and deepest sympathies were with Christine’s family.

They added: ‘We are sorry that during her care, our patient transfer protocols were not fully followed.

‘We take patient safety extremely seriously and undertook our own investigation and subsequent action to ensure ambulance clinicians were reminded of the importance of securing all stretcher straps when transferring patients.

‘While we recognise the distressing circumstances of this case for Mrs Faunch’s family, we welcome the Coroner’s acknowledgement of the steps we have taken and continue to take to minimise risks and support safe transfers of patients.’

The inquest last Friday also heard from SECAmb’s interim chief nursing officer, Joanne Turner, who said the incident had prompted a review to prevent similar accidents.

Ms Turner told the court: ‘We know humans make mistakes and this is about designing the system to try and reduce those mistakes.’

Safety improvements include adding a colour-coding system to chest straps to make them less fiddly, and requiring stretchers to have straps pre-clipped so patients cannot be loaded without them being undone and refastened.

It is hoped this will ensure crews remember to secure patients even in high-high-stress situations.

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