A 89-year-old man on a strict liquids only diet was fed a roast dinner and toast but died days after - a NHS board has since apologised unreservedly following his death22:13, 31 Aug 2026Updated 22:13, 31 Aug 2026A patient with a "nil by mouth" notice died after staff repeatedly fed him solid foods despite his strict liquid only diet.‌Patrick Brogan, 89, was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, one of Scotland's biggest hospitals, on Christmas Day, in 2023, after he fell at his home. The patient had the "nil by mouth" notice - which means a person cannot eat or drink through their mouth - attached to his hospital bed when he was admitted.‌Mr Brogan went into surgery for his injuries on January 1, 2024, but was given a meal with roast beef, vegetables, a Yorkshire pudding and gravy then was also not given help to eat.‌The 89-year-old choked on this roast dinner and had a piece of Yorkshire pudding dislodged from his throat. After this incident the patient was put under another order to only eat when "alert and upright".On January 6, 2024, Mr Brogan was given a piece of toast to eat by a healthcare worker but he deteriorated quickly. The 89-year-old died a few days later on January 12, according to The Press and Journal.The man had developed aspirated pneumonia, which is a lung infection caused by inhaling something that is not air into your lungs, for example food or saliva.‌A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the mans death found the NHS Grampian board made several failings. It said the immediate cause of Mr Brogan's death was he was served an "inappropriate meal without assistance".A legal representative for NHS Grampian, Emma Toner KC, told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the NHS board "recognised the failures" that led to the death and said NHS Grampian's systems weren't "sufficient or robust" enough.Toner also told the court that improvements had been made since his death to reduce the likelihood of something similar happening in the future.‌Sheriff Craig Findlater ruled the hospital's care towards Mr Brogan was "inadequate" and added that the patient "deserved better". He fined NHS Grampian £75,250.The chief executive of NHS Grampian, Laura Skaife-Knight, apologised "unreservedly" to Mr Brogan's grieving family for the failings of her NHS board.She said: "At the heart of healthcare is a commitment to provide safe, compassionate and effective care to every patient. On behalf of NHS Grampian, I apologise unreservedly to Mr Brogan’s family that our failings contributed to this tragic outcome.Article continues below"While I deeply regret that I cannot change what happened in this case, I am committed to maximising our learning from our shortcomings and to improving the safety and quality of care for our future patients."I would like to assure Mr Brogan’s family, and our local community, that we have undertaken a comprehensive review and, in response, have already implemented significant changes to reduce the risk of such an event recurring. These include embedding a revised Mealtime Coordinator role across all adult in-patient areas at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary; introducing a colour-coded tray system, strengthening nursing handovers and improving staff training."