Inquest opened into death of patient who died in Kettering General Hospital kitchen catering oven
An inquest into the death of a patient who was found dead in a Kettering General Hospital catering oven has been opened and adjourned.
This morning (Wednesday) at The Guildhall in Northampton, Northamptonshire’s senior coroner Anne Pember opened the inquest into Craig Smith’s death.
Extending her condolences to his sister, attending via Zoom, Mrs Pember described Mr Smith as a ‘very vulnerable’ person.
His body was found just after 4am on Saturday, September 7 after he fell through the roof of the hospital’s catering department into a large kitchen oven.
The inquest heard that Mr Smith from Kettering had been admitted to Clifford Ward (a medical short stay unit) on Thursday, September 5.
In the early hours of September 7, the police received a call that Mr Smith had ‘absconded’ from the ward with staff reporting him missing.
Mrs 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.
No provisional cause of death was given but toxicology and histology tests were ordered.
Mrs Pember adjourned the inquest until Wednesday, March 20, 2025, and his body can now be released to the family.
Northamptonshire Police investigators did not treat the death as suspicious.