The Royal United Hospital will admit breaching health and safety legislation nearly four years after a man died when he fell from a hospital window.
Mark Scott-Green, a 48-year-old patient at the hospital, died after falling from a window in November 2012.
The NHS trust that runs the hospital indicated before Bath magistrates that it would plead guilty to an offence relating to the man’s death, earlier this week.
The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust has been prosecuted by the HSE under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for not doing enough, on and before November 17, 2012, to prevent patients and visitors from falling from windows.
Acting on behalf of the HSE, barrister Tom Walker told the court that the trust had breached Section 3(1) of the act by not taking all “reasonably practicable” steps to ensure that non-employees were not exposed to risks to their health or safety “including the risk of falling from windows”.
A spokeswoman for the RUH said: “The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has charged the trust with a single offence of being in contravention of section three of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The Trust has indicated a guilty plea.
“The case is to be heard in due course at Bristol Crown Court and we will continue to co-operate fully and openly with the HSE and the Court throughout these proceedings.
“We are unable to comment further whilst this matter is subject to legal proceedings.”
The case is expected to be heard in Bristol Crown Court next month.
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