A 94-YEAR-OLD dementia sufferer died of pneumonia in hospital after she was "locked out" of her care home, her family has claimed.

Doris Clarkson's family say they believe their mother would not have contracted the deadly infection if the home had allowed her to return after she had left just hours before to be treated for a fall.

Instead, the family claim staff at the Lambton House Care Home in New Lambton, near Chester-le-Street, refused her entry in a stand-off at the gates after she'd been escorted back from hospital in a private ambulance.

Mrs Clarkson was left with no choice but to return to the University Hospital of Durham, where she died four weeks later of pneumonia.

The care home insist they were unable to take her back until a "reassessment of her needs" had taken place and that they had informed the hospital this was the case.

However, Mrs Clarkson's family are adamant that after being treated in hospital her needs remained exactly the same and a consultant had given her the go ahead to return.

Her daughters Margaret Stone, 72, Susan Thirlaway, 66, Lynne Clarkson, 60 and Carole Hall, 56, are now hoping to take legal action against the care-home.

Susan said: "The tragedy is she ended up dying in hospital, as opposed to in a home surrounded by people she knew."

Mrs Clarkson, a great grandmother of 11, was taken straight back to hospital after she was refused entry to the care home at around 9pm on August 18, following her fall at around 3.30am that morning.

At an inquest held in Crook Coroner Andrew Tweddle recorded a verdict of 'death as a result of a fall'.

He said: "Pneumonia is the result of the doctor's medical report. She also suffered from dementia and osteoporosis. The pneumonia came after the fall."

Lambton House Care Home issued a lengthy statement in which they claim no responsibility for what happened to Mrs Clarkson.

In it the home says that Mrs Clarkson fell after a sensory mat was removed from her bed as it was not compatible with a new mattress.

The decision was made to place a floor sensory mat next to Mrs Clarkson's bed as an alternative, but the pensioner fell just hours before it was due to be installed.

As a result, the home claims, Mrs Clarkson's was required to undergo a reassessment of her needs.

The statement says: “'The ambulance staff agreed that it was not safe for Ms Clarkson to be discharged back to Lambton House at that time and Ms Clarkson was taken back to hospital.”

It adds a safeguarding investigation also held that Lambton House were entirely correct to state that Ms Clarkson should not have been discharged and should be returned to hospital.