NI care company fined £50,000 over death of nursing home resident

A care company has been fined £50,000 over the death of a resident at a Lisburn nursing home.

In a statement issued by the Northern Ireland Health and Safety Executive, the watchdog said Belfast based Harmony CCS Limited was fined for a breach of Health and Safety rules following the death of Mary ‘Pat’ Thompson. Mrs Thompson passed away after a fall at the Rose Lodge Nursing home in Lisburn in 2020.

The HSE said the company pleaded guilty today at Craigavon Crown Court to a single health and safety breach following the death. The prosecution, they say, arose following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive into a fall which resident Mrs Thompson suffered on May 18, 2020.

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The statement added: “The court heard that while receiving personal care, Mrs Thompson was left sitting unattended at the edge of a bed. She subsequently fell forwards onto the floor and suffered multiple injuries. She passed away a number of days later in hospital.”

Speaking after the hearing, HSENI Inspector Kiara Blackburn said: “Care plans must identify the specific care needs of each resident and should be followed by all care staff. Staff should not be reliant on informal assessments to determine a resident’s needs.

“Any changes to a resident’s needs should be adequately risk assessed, documented and the information communicated to all care staff.”

The HSENI investigation found that the care plans for Mrs Thompson indicated that she required the assistance of two carers for safe moving, handling, and transferring activities. However, the HSE added that no formal indication was provided within these care plans as to the level of assistance Mrs Thompson required for personal care.

On this occasion, the HSE said, a junior member of staff was directed by a senior member of staff to provide personal care for Mrs Thompson on her own. As a result, Mrs Thompson was moved by one carer and left unattended at the edge of the bed from which she fell.

The investigation found that there was no formal system in place to identify whether personal care was to be carried out by one or two carers. Instead, staff relied on a daily, informal assessment of the resident’s presentation to determine their needs. Harmony CCS Limited have been contacted for a response.

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