A PENSIONER choked to death the day after moving from one care home to another after after conflicting details over his diet, an inquest heard.

After the hearing the family of 88-year-old Ottorino Finzi said they hoped that lessons had been learned from the death.

"We don't want any other family to have to go through what we have gone through," said his son Tony.

Italian-born Mr Finzi had been a resident at Wepre Villa Care Home in Connah's Quay since 2014 but when his dementia increased staff there could no longer care for him, so arrangements were made for him to move to the Nant-y-Gaer Home in Llay, now known as Wrexham Care Centre.

The home specialises in the care of dementia patients and manager Sarah Morris told the Ruthin hat she twice visited Wepre Villa prior to his transfer when Mr Finzi's care plan and assessment were discussed.

Ms Morris agreed the documents she received stated "soft diet" on the top but the meals he had been receiving clearly showed that he was on a normal diet including items such as gammon, mince and fish.

"As a rule we would go along with what is in the file, and the information we received was that he was on a normal diet," she said.

Mr Finzi, a retired forklift truck driver, moved into Nant-y-Gaer on March 13 last year and Ms Morris told the inquest that the following day he had toast for breakfast, causing no problems.

At teatime, however, he was being helped to eat a sandwich when he started choking.

Staff made desperate efforts to clear the blockage and paramedics were called, but he was certified dead at the home.

Mr Finzi's daughter Suzanne Miotti told the hearing he had been on a soft diet at Wepre Villa for a considerable time with food being pureed for him and members of the family brought in items such as yoghurt.

Ms Morris said since his death procedures surrounding the transfer of patients had been tightened.

"Now both parties check and must agree what is in place," she said.

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, John Gittins, coroner for North Wales East and Central, described it as "a very difficult case" and said when the inquest began in August last year he had grave concerns about the assessment undertaken which resulted in Mr Finzi receiving appropriate food.

He said that after hearing of the changes introduced to ensure that all parties were "singing from the same hymn sheet" he would not be issuing a Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths.

But he asked Ms Morris to provide him with written evidence of the new procedures being followed.

"If I do not receive it I might reconsider the matter of a Regulation 28 report," he added.