Huddersfield inquest into care home death

AN inquest will take place in Huddersfield tomorrow into the tragic death of a woman in a care home. The hearing will look into the death of an 87-year-old Alzheimer’s patient who died two months after suffering four per cent burns while living at the West Yorkshire care home.

Violet Smith, a grandmother and former cricket club stewardess from Heckmondwike, was admitted to Pinderfields General Hospital, Wakefield in January 2008 after she was left on a commode of hot water by staff at the Batley nursing home.

She died in hospital two months later following major skin grafts and after developing a chest infection.

Before being admitted to hospital Mrs Smith was living at Carlinghow, a specialist care home for elderly people with dementia run by Charlton Care Ltd of Edgware, Middlesex.

In February, after a seven-day trial at Leeds Crown Court, nurse Andrea Jarrett-Garrick and two care assistants Danielle Schofield and Julie Atkinson were cleared of charges of wilful neglect, but the care home’s insurers have admitted liability for what happened.

Rachelle Mahapatra, partner and clinical negligence expert at Irwin Mitchell in Leeds, who is representing Mrs Smith’s family in a civil claim, said: “The Smiths have been through a nightmare ordeal over the past 18 months.

“We very much hope that the outcome of this inquest will help bring a certain level of closure after what has been an extremely upsetting and traumatic experience for them.”