Sheriff Slams Nursing Home

The poor standard of care and inadequate staffing levels at a nursing home contributed to the death of a pensioner, a sheriff said yesterday. George Fairlie, 74, a resident at the Alexandra Nursing Home in Paisley, died in October 2002, after contracting “preventable” gangrene in hospital following what his family claimed was sustained neglect by the care home’s management. Sheriff David Pender’s fatal accident inquiry report said tests following Mr Fairlie’s admission to hospital showed he was “severely dehydrated and malnourished” and, as a result, his blood pressure had dropped so low that it was “barely compatible with life”.

The severity of his illness was discovered only when members of his family arrived at the nursing home to take him for lunch.

In his report, Sheriff Pender said: “They [the family] were horrified. Mr Fairlie was lying in bed in an emaciated state. He was lying in the foetal position. He also appeared to have lost a substantial amount of weight.”

Only when the family voiced concern did the agency nurse in charge of the St Mirren wing of the home, owned by Four Seasons Health Care, call a doctor. The family already had serious concerns about the treatment he was receiving and would visit unannounced, often finding Mr Fairlie confined to bed, unshaved and soaked in his urine.

Following his admission to hospital, it was discovered that Mr Fairlie suffered pressure sores from being bedridden and several injuries to his ankles where he had hit them against his bed. While he was in hospital the wounds became gangrenous, but amputation was not possible. Sheriff Pender said the home failed to record the wounds, as well as Mr Fairlie’s fluid intake, and was in breach of its own care manual.

In his conclusion, the sheriff said understaffing, poor standards of care and failure to keep medical records contributed to Mr Fairlie’s death. He described as “significant” the evidence from two doctors that if Mr Fairlie had been admitted to hospital earlier, gangrene could have been prevented and there was a direct link between the “lack of proper nursing care” and death.

Sheriff Pender said Ruth Grogan, 58, manager of the home, attempted to mislead the inquiry when she claimed the St Mirren wing was understaffed for “maybe a couple of hours”. He said this was “blatantly untrue” and problems were “due in no small way to the dereliction of duty on [her] part”.

Ms Grogan, who has resigned, said: “I’m not in a position to say anything at the moment as I haven’t seen the report.”

Mr Fairlie’s daughter, Alison, said: “I feel as a family we have been vindicated. The way we were treated by the care home owners, it was as if we were on trial. You never imagine your father could be treated this way, but I hate to imagine how many other people have suffered.”

A spokesman for Four Seasons said the home closed in July 2005 as it was unable to make further improvements, and added: “Our thoughts and sympathies are extended to Mr Fairlie’s family, and we offer our regret at the distress they have endured.”