Poison Claims Care Home Ordered To Close

A care home at the centre of a police investigation into allegations that residents were poisoned has been ordered to close, it has been revealed. Rachel and Leigh Baker, who run Parkfields residential care home in Butleigh, Somerset, were arrested following the death of Lucy Cox, 97, on New Year’s Day.

A spokeswoman for the Commission for Social Care Inspection said the commission “has had serious concerns about the standards of care provided at Parkfields since certain matters were brought to our attention in early January”.

She added: “Because the owners had failed to improve standards since [a] January inspection we have issued a notice to cancel their registration, which will effectively close the home.”

Both Mr Baker, 48, and Mrs Baker, 45, who live in Glastonbury, were released on bail after being questioned under section 23 of the Offences against the Person Act.

An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman confirmed officers were also investigating the deaths of six other residents at the home, near Glastonbury.

The spokesman said: “Police are involved in a joint investigation with the Commission for Social Care Inspection. As a result of the investigation so far, on Friday January 5 this year a 45-year-old woman was arrested at an address in Glastonbury. She was released on bail pending further inquiries.

“On January 7, a 48-year-old man was arrested in Glastonbury. He was taken to Yeovil station and was also released on bail pending further inquiries.”

An inquest into the death of Mrs Cox was opened and adjourned in January, a spokeswoman at Frome coroner’s court said. She said: “The postmortem was carried out on January 8. The cause of death is awaiting further investigation.”

It is understood that there were no inquests into the six other deaths.