Care Home Criticised Over Woman’s Death

A CARE home was guilty of a “gross failure” to provide medical attention for a 95-year-old woman, a coroner ruled.

Derek Winter severely criticised The Village Care Home in South Hylton at the end of a two-day inquest, saying he would be reporting it to a national watchdog.

The hearing at Houghton Magistrates’ Court was told that Mrs Mann died of bronchopneumonia at Sunderland Royal Hospital on March 23, 2007, after a fracture of her right femur.

Mr Winter said the only person at the home who had knowledge that Mrs Mann had suffered a fall in her room at an unknown time was care worker Clare Brooks, whose account was “credible and consistent with medical evidence”.

However this incident was not recorded by anyone at the home and they could not say definitely when it occurred.

Mr Winter said he was “at a loss” how staff failed to notice an old bruise on her thigh.

Mrs Mann, who was fitted with an artificial limb, was eventually admitted to hospital when she collapsed getting out of the bath on March 23 last year.

Mr Winter said: “Mrs Mann died from natural causes and the cause of death was aggravated by neglect for three reasons:

“She was in a wholly dependent position due to her age, and her frailty of health meant that she could not provide for herself.

“There was a gross failure to provide and procure basic medical attention in the face of an obvious need to do so.

“This failure contributed to her death because there was an opportunity for rendering care which would have prevented death and that was not taken or even contemplated.”

Mr Winter added: “There had been an opportunity to do something effective after Mrs Mann had first fallen. In my view there is a clear and direct causalconnection between the gross failure and the death.

“Although I am gratified to hear that improvements have already been initiated at the Village Care Home I intend to write to the Care Standards Commission so that they may reinforce the need for those who provide care for some of the most vulnerable people in our community to ensure that all untoward incidents are recorded and the concerns of a family or staff member are appropriately documented and disseminated.”

Residents’ health ‘is priority’

A SPOKESPERSON for the home said: “Our residents’ health and well-being are always our utmost priority and we work closely with our regulators and the authorities to ensure the best standards of care.

“An unannounced inspection by CSCI (Commission for Social Care Inspection) last February recognised the good standards of care within the home.

“Staff at the Village Care Home care about each and every one of the residents they look after. They were saddened by the loss of Mrs Mann and extend their condolences to her family.

“The Village Care Home respects the privacy of its residents and staff in all matters and is therefore unable to give any further comment.”