A PAINTER and decorator died suddenly weeks after falling off a ladder at work, an inquest heard.

Ferenc Josza died aged 54 in Kendal as a result of blood clots following the fall, in which he broke his foot.

Cockermouth Coroner's Court heard Mr Josza was working on July 21 last year when he fell off a ladder.

He broke his heel in the fall and had to wear a knee-length plaster cast, the inquest was told.

Mr Josza died suddenly at home while making food on August 27. 

But questions were raised by coroner Margaret Taylor about Mr Josza's treatment by doctors following the fall.

She said there was a 'missed opportunity' for doctors at Westmorland General Hospital to perform a risk assessment for venous thromboembolism, a condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein.

He also should have been prescribed blood-thinning medication to protect against blood clots, the hearing heard.

The inquest heard an investigation was carried out by the Morecambe Bay NHS trust following his death.

It found the doctor who saw him in a follow-up appointment in August did not carry out the risk assessment, going against trust policy.

It was later established he was not aware of the policy, which the hearing was told had been in place since 2018.

Ms Taylor accepted the finding of a post-mortem examination that Mr Josza died from a pulmonary embolism as well as deep vein thrombosis.

The inquest heard Mr Josza's father also died from a pulmonary embolism. As a smoker he would have also been at greater risk, the hearing was told.

Ms Taylor could not say whether it was more likely than not that hospital errors led to his death.

She found he died an accidental death from the fall.

She told Mr Josza's family members: "I hope it's some comfort that the trust accepted they did not do what they should have."

The inquest heard Mr Josza, who was Hungarian, had three children.

His friend Gabor Csuka said Mr Josza was 'like a father figure to me'.

Mr Josza was described as a 'much-loved father who will be missed by so many'.