Care home where seven people died after catching Covid criticised at inquest

Relatives of seven elderly nursing home residents who died after contracting coronavirus at the height of the pandemic have criticised the care they received, an inquest heard.

The residents, who lived at the Holmesley Care Home, in Sidford, Devon, all died in March or April 2021 having contracted the Covid-19 virus.

Alison Longhorn, area coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, has resumed inquests into the deaths of William Wilkinson, 102, Doris Lockett, 92, Roy Gilliam, 96, Jean Hartley, 81, Susan Skinner, 70, Ronald Bampfylde, 92, and Stanislawa Koch, 93.

In written statements read to the hearing at County Hall in Exeter, family members questioned the basic level of care their relatives received at the home and also their concerns about staffing levels.

Mr Wilkinson, a retired RAF group captain, died in hospital on March 11 after testing positive for Covid.

A pathologist found he had died from bronchopneumonia contributed by Covid-19.

His son, Peter, said that while his father was in hospital he discovered his hearing aid was blocked with earwax and his fingernails were unkempt.

“The home had advised me when my father first went into the home that they would take responsibility for the fingernails but not the feet, which we had to pay for,” he said.

“To me it was a sign that someone wasn’t doing the basic duties of care. The level of care that dad received he did not complain about.

“I don’t want to be unfair, and I know caring for older people can be very difficult and can be a thankless task but for nearly £5,000 a month they should be able to ensure that a necessity like maintaining a hearing aid is well supervised and care plans understood.

“I believe there was a high turnover of staff at the home as I received different people every time I went there. Perhaps it was just normal staff rotation.

“In my experience there were failings in that home that wanted me to move dad out. I felt the inability to fulfil the simplest of problems made me doubt their ability to deal with more serious issues should they arise.”

The inquest heard Mrs Lockett, who ran a farm with her late husband, died from a pulmonary thromboembolism and a secondary Covid-19 infection.

Her daughter, Miriam Brown, said she had concerns about the home’s ability to manager her mother’s diabetes and allergies.

“It was clear not all the staff were aware of either the diabetes or the allergies,” she said.

“Mum would have to remind staff she was diabetic when they served her cake or asking if she wanted sugar in her coffee.

“The level of care went down after the New Year.

“Our hands were tied as in the last year of her life we were restricted in how much input we had in her care and totally relied upon the staff in the home.

“I strongly feel that mum was not getting the quality and level of care she deserved at this time of her life.”

The family of Mr Gilliam, who flew Lancaster bombers during the Second World War, said in their view by the time of his death in March 2021 the home was “struggling”.

“As a relative you have no idea what is going on and there was no contact with anyone else to raise issues. You rely on what the home is telling you,” they said.

“There seemed to be a gradual decline in the level of staffing and activities over the years while dad was there, especially in the past year.

“Dad was paying over £1,000 a week and most of the time he lay on his bed or sat in a chair and didn’t participate in activities.

“The staff tried to engage him, but I believe they lacked sufficient resources or staffing to create something stimulating for him.

“Although his basic needs were met, he often complained of being lonely and ignored, especially during the last year of the pandemic.”

Miss Hartley had been diagnosed with severe Parkinson’s disease and dementia and died from pneumonia on March 10.

Pathologist Dr Russell Delaney said the contraction of Covid-19 had increased her susceptibility to developing pneumonia.

Her partner John Mallett was with her when she died and criticised the lack of sympathy from the staff following her death.

“I just let myself out and was left feeling completely shocked at the lack of sensitivity from the home knowing I had just witnessed Jean die before my eyes,” he said.

Mr Bampfylde, a retired accountant, died on April 5 from multi-organ failure after developing Covid-19 the previous month.

Daughter Sally Burns said she had raised her concerns about an outbreak of Covid-19 with the coroner.

“Before the Covid-19 outbreak at Holmesley, Dad was doing well and I was pleased with the care he received,” she said.

Miss Skinner, a retired care worker, died on March 17 in hospital after contracting the virus.

Her cause of death was as a result of Covid-19, contributed to by diabetes, hypertension and cancer.

Family friend Kay Soutter said she was happy at first with the levels of care provided but things later deteriorated.

“We thought she was living in a very safe and protected environment and expected her to be with us longer,” she said.

“We feel her death need not have happened in this way.”

She added: “We feel the change in ownership, management and constant staff changes at Holmesley at the time of the pandemic contributed to her demise.

“Were we satisfied with the care Sue received at Holmesley? Our final answer has to be no.”

The inquest heard Mrs Koch, a retired care worker, was born in Poland in 1927 and was the only one of her siblings to have survived the Second World War.

She died from multi-organ failure contributed to by other long-term health conditions and Covid-19.

He son, Mick Koch, told the hearing he had concerns about the quality of quarantine taking place in the home as his mother had returned from a stay in hospital on February 20 2021.

“At the time Holmesley was operating a policy of quarantining people who returned to the home for a period of two weeks,” he said.

“In Mum’s case, this would have been from February 20 to March 5.”

He said he was informed on March 10 she had tested positive for Covid-19 and had contracted it eight days previously.

“On March 10 the doctor at A&E confirms that she was in day eight of Covid, meaning that staff must have records and must have known that on March 2 Mum had contracted Covid-19 despite being managed under quarantine measures,” he said.

The inquest continues.

Copyright (c) PA Media Ltd. 2024, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Google Maps.