Patient died after ‘escaping hospital ward and falling into catering oven’ 

A ‘extremely vulnerable’ patient died after he fell through a roof and landed inside a hospital catering oven, an inquest has heard.

Craig Smith was being treated at Kettering General Hospital when he left his ward on September 7.

Staff searched the hospital for Mr Smith and found his body inside a catering oven.

He had fallen through the roof of the catering department and landed inside the large metal cooker, an inquest heard.

Northamptonshire’s senior coroner Anne Pember said: ‘Craig Smith died on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at Kettering General Hospital.

‘He was extremely vulnerable. They did a thorough search of the hospital and a search of his home address.

‘It was not until just after 4am that a roof was found with a hole in it. He had fallen into the kitchen below into a large oven.’

Mr Smith’s age was not revealed, but he was a Kettering resident.

The inquest heard Mr Smith had been admitted to Clifford Ward, a medical short stay unit, on Thursday, September 5.

No provisional cause of death was given but toxicology and histology tests were ordered.

Mrs Pember adjourned the inquest until March 20 next year and ordered that his body can be released to the family.

Northamptonshire Police investigators did not treat the death as suspicious.