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£15k fine for gran's care home death fall
by Mark Lavery
BUPA Care Homes have been ordered to pay 15,000 for ‘miserably failing’ a severely disabled Wakefield grandmother who died days after breaking both legs while in their care.
Multiple sclerosis sufferer Muriel Lindley, 80, was a quadraplegic who couldn’t move her arms and legs and her care plan stated she needed two carers to move or handle her.
Mrs Lindley was being dressed by just one carer, who had just one day’s training, when she fell out of her bed and broke both legs at the Bupa-run West Riding Care Home in Lofthouse, Wakefield last July.
Mrs Lindley, of Thornes, Wakefield, died in hospital of pneumonia nine days later.
Duty
The Health and Safety Executive prosecuted Bupa Care Homes under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Magistrates fined the firm 15,000 and ordered them to pay 10,500 costs after the company admitted failing in their duty of care to mother-of-four Mrs Lindley.
Prosecutor, Andrew Cameron, said carer Elizabeth Lindsay had no previous experience, had only been working at the Bupa home for six days when the accident happened.
She had been on a one day induction course but had not been trained in moving and handling patients.
Mr Cameron said she was working alongside experienced care assistant Sheila Hodgson who was later sacked by Bupa for allowing the new starter to deal with Mrs Lindley on her own.
After the hearing Mrs Lindley’s two daughters, Janet Yates, 55, and Rosemary Enzor, 56, said the family studied care homes and chose the West Riding home because it was Bupa owned and quoted their marketing blurb ‘we provide the best care possible.’
The sisters said: “Unfortunately for us they failed miserably and our mother paid the ultimate price. We truly believe she would still be alive today if it was not for that fall. We just hope they will learn from their mistakes.”
A coroner ruled Mrs Lindley’s death was accidental and was contributed to, but was not caused directly by, the incident at the care home.
Vivienne Birch, deputy regional director for Bupa care homes, said after the hearing: “Mrs Lindley was a popular and much loved resident who had been with us for five years and everyone at the home felt her death keenly.
“This is a ‘good’ rated home and clear procedures were in place to ensure that Mrs Lindley was cared for safely but on this very rare occasion they were not followed properly.
“We have apologised to her family for this and I would like to again say how sorry we are.
“We regularly review our procedures and have made changes to ensure this does not happen again.”
In April 2002 a 90-year-old resident at the same Bupa care home in Wakefield died a week after falling from a hoist while being lifted from a bath.
Magistrates heard the single carer using the hoist had not completed patient handling training. In November 2004 the firm admitted two breaches of health and safety regulations in connection with that incident.
mark.lavery@ypn.co.uk
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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