A nurse has been criticised over her care for a pensioner who died after falling in a hospital toilet.

Catherine Hattie, 79, died in Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow, having suffered chest injuries in a fall the previous night.

Nursing auxiliary Lia Clark told the fatal accident inquiry into the death she had turned away from Mrs Hattie for "just seconds" before the patient fell.

Sheriff Andrew Norman found that the death on March 2, 2006, may have been prevented had the nurse acted differently.

In his written determination released on Friday, Sheriff Norman said: “more frequent observation would have been a reasonable precaution whereby the death might have been avoided.”

Ms Clark had accompanied the elderly patient to the toilet on the night of the fall. The Kirkintilloch resident suffered health problems after a cancer operation she had earlier that year.

Sheriff Norman stated: "There is no determination about reasonable precautions whereby the death might have been avoided.

"The reasonable precautions whereby the accident resulting in the death might have been avoided were that nursing auxiliary Clark should have remained in a position in the toilet to continue to observe Catherine Hattie, in sufficiently close proximity to her to be able, if necessary, to render her assistance and prevent her from falling or catch her if she did.

"Or nursing auxiliary Clark should have returned Catherine Hattie to a sitting position while she briefly turned away from her and left her side."