The widow of a man who died after swallowing his wedding ring at Queen Mary's Hospital has been assured that changes have been made to the way patients are treated.

Iris Lopez, 75, of Lainson Street, Southfields, met with nursing managers on May 12 following the inquest of her husband, John, 73.

Mr Lopez died on December 5 from a lung infection caused by the ring interrupting the direction of food on its way to the stomach.

The inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court on April 8 heard that Mr Lopez had been fed breaded chicken even through he was on a soft diet.

During the meeting, nursing staff told Mrs Lopez that soup would now be available for those who could not eat solid food.

There will now be red trays to indicate patients who cannot feed themselves, and staff will not undertake other procedures while patients are eating unless it is an emergency.

Mrs Lopez said: “Obviously it hasn’t helped us, but if it helps people in the future, it wasn’t a waste of time. I’d like to thank the Wandsworth Guardian for the article, because it’s something that needed to be highlighted.”