A 90-year-old woman who fell and fractured her hip had to wait over four hours for an ambulance, and while in hospital was given a painkilling injection on the wrong side.

The Welsh Ambulance Services Trust and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board both carried out internal reviews after the death of Catherine Bannister but despite having concerns John Gittins, coroner for North Wales East and Central, said he did not think that the long wait or the injection played a part in her death.

At an inquest in Ruthin he said he would defer a decision on whether to issue a Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths because he was still awaiting a response from WAST to a similar report concerning an ambulance delay.

Mrs Bannister moved into War Memorial Court in Rhyl in 2002 and in 2014 began suffering from dementia. Her condition worsened and she was visited by carers four times a day.

On September 15 last year, while her carer was in another room, she got out of bed and fell .

The carer first called an ambulance at 8.43am and after her son Michael Conway had arrived the second 999 call was made at 11.45am. An ambulance eventually arrived at 12.53pm and they arrived at Glan Clwyd Hospital at 1.42pm.

Mrs Bannister, who suffered from osteoporosis and a chest infection, had fractured her hip but was given a painkilling injection in the wrong side by a junior doctor.

Mr Gittins said Mr Conway was told about the error though it did not cause any medical issues.

“Appropriate action” was taken against the junior doctor, said the coroner.

Mrs Bannister’s condition improved for a while but she died on October 3, the cause of death being hospital-acquired pneumonia due to a fractured femur.

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, Mr Gittins said that given the circumstances and the date of her death the injection error was not relevant.

Referring to the ambulance delay, on which he received a detailed report from Gill Pleming, WAST’s utilities manager, he said: “I am conscious of a number of reports of delays and at the present time there is a further report which is outstanding.

“It strikes me there would be no benefit in a further report without at least giving consideration to the most recent response.”

Deferring a decision on whether to issue a Regulation 28 report, he commented: “Clearly the concerns I have expressed previously are still valid and I shall wait to see whether my concerns are sufficiently allayed.

“There is no evidence to support the fact that the delay in this instance has made a direct contribution to the death.”