Pensioner Dies In Swindon Care Home Fall
An 80 year old woman died after falling 20ft from the bedroom window of her Wiltshire care home. Inspectors from the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) are due to visit Ashbury Lodge, a private care home in Marlborough Road, Swindon, to ensure the correct safety procedures were in place.
Police have investigated the death and ruled out any possiblity of foul play.
The woman, believed to be Peggy Pope, whose family live in Park South, is understood to have suffered from dementia.
She had only been living at Ashbury Lodge for five days.
Paramedics tried to save Mrs Pope but she died hours later in the Great Western Hospital with her family by her side.
advertisement Mrs Pope had broken her pelvis and injured her ankle in the fall from the second -floor room.
When police arrived she was conscious and talking to the ambulance crew but her condition quickly deteriorated.
Staff at the care home were alerted to the tragic incident when they heard her cries for help.
It is understood they went into Mrs Pope’s room to discover her window wide open.
Mrs Pope fell shortly after midnight. An X-ray just before 1.30am showed that she had broken her pelvis and hospital staff feared she would be dead within 48 hours.
She died at about 3.30am.
Police have confirmed they investigated the incident but are not treating it as suspicious.
Ray Veasey, a spokesman for the Commission for Social Care Inspection, said that the home had performed well on a recent inspection.
“The home was last inspected in December 2006 and standards were found to be good,” he said.
“Our inspector has been in contact with the management and will visit the home to confirm that all necessary safety measures and risk assessments are in place.”
Ashbury Lodge Nursing and residential home accommodates 45 residents in 37 single and four shared rooms.
It is understood that Mrs Pope lived alone.
The home cares for elderly people and is suitable for those with physical disabilities, dementia or terminal illness.
The couple who run the home declined to comment. Mrs Pope’s family were also too upset to speak.
