Sir Bobby Charlton died after fall at Knutsford care home

The inquest into the death of Sir Bobby took place today, Wednesday, at Cheshire Coroner's Court in Warrington.

Sir Bobby died at the age of 86 in Macclesfield General Hospital on October 25.

The inquest, presided over by senior coroner for Cheshire Jacqueline Devonish, heard that Sir Bobby was living in The Willows, a nursing home caring for patients with dementia.

Sir Bobby had lived at an address off Chelford Road in Knutsford for some time before being moved to the nursing home.

The Manchester United legend was England's most-capped senior footballer for many years (Image: Newsquest)

As per a written statement provided by Sir Bobby's widow, Lady Norma Charlton, the retired footballer had been receiving respite care at the home in Knutsford since July.

On October 16, it was heard that Sir Bobby had stood up from his chair, lost his balance, and fell - striking a windowsill and possibly a radiator as he did so.

The court heard Sir Bobby was 'unsteady on his feet, especially when standing from a seated position' as a result of his living with dementia.

Staff at the home were unable to prevent his fall, but performed a full-body check at the time and noted no visible injuries, and recorded that Sir Bobby's mobility seemed unaffected.

Sometime later, swelling was noted on Sir Bobby's back, and paramedics were called to the nursing home - he was then taken to the local hospital before being moved to Macclesfield General Hospital.

It was noted following a chest X-ray and CT scan that Sir Bobby had fractured his ribs, and was likely to develop pneumonia.

Doctors agreed that he should be put on end-of-life care at the hospital.

The inquest heard that Sir Bobby had an extensive medical history, which included an appendix removal, gout, a urine infection, chest infections - for which he had been hospitalised - and the ex-England forward had also contracted Covid-19 in September this year.

Care for Sir Bobby at the nursing home saw him have one-to-one support from staff at all hours of the day, with the inquest hearing that Sir Bobby 'needed support with all aspects of daily living.'

The beloved forward died at the age of 86 (Image: PA)

It was also said that Sir Bobby's care at the nursing home involved his bed being as close to the ground as possible, with crash mats and motion sensors in place, too - this was due to his restlessness making him likely to roll out of his bed.

Coroner Devonish ruled that Sir Bobby's cause(s) of death should be listed as follows:

• Traumatic haemopneumothorax;
• A fall;
• Alzheimer's/dementia.

It was also ruled that Sir Bobby's death was accidental.

The senior coroner extended her condolences to Lady Norma Charlton and the rest of Sir Bobby's family before formally closing the case.

The inquest was heard at Cheshire Coroner's Court in Warrington on Wednesday, November 1.