Care home pays compensation to resident after falls

A watchdog ordered Sunderland City Council and the care provider to pay compensation to the resident and his family

A watchdog has ordered a council and care provider to compensate a man and his family after he fell at least 17 times in four months in a care home.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found Sunderland City Council and Four Season's Health Care had missed an opportunity to consider further support to reduce the risk of falls for the man.

Sunderland City Council said it was implementing the ombudsman's recommended actions.

Four Season's Health Care said it had already provided evidence to the ombudsman of the required actions having been implemented.

The man, referred to in documents as Mr Y, was a resident at Maple Lodge Care Home, in Witherwack, Sunderland, between November 2022 and March 2023.

During this time, Mr Y's daughter, referred to as Mrs X, raised a number of complaints about her dad's care.

High risk

One of the complaints was around the way the home managed Mr Y's risk of falls.

The ombudsman said that from their investigation, there was "no doubt" Mr Y, who has dementia, was at high risk of falling, but Mrs X said the home failed to record all instances of falls.

The ombudsman's report said the home recorded 17 falls and had completed a detailed note about each one, including injuries and advice given to Mr Y.

It added: "Mrs X told me Mr Y fell more than 17 times. I consider, on the balance of probabilities, she is correct.

"The home’s record keeping was generally poor."

Missed opportunities

Other complaints centred around Mr Y's ability to decide whether his bedroom door should be kept open.

This came about after a confrontation Mr Y had with another resident after they wandered into his room.

The home carried out a safeguarding investigation, which concluded no further action should be taken.

However, the ombudsman said the home missed an opportunity to review Mr Y’s capacity to decide whether to keep his door open and that there was no evidence of them setting out the risks and benefits to him.

They recommended actions to address the family's concerns.

The ombudsman found no fault regarding other complaints raised by Mrs X.

Compensation

The ombudsman told the council and care provider to apologise to Mr Y, and his daughter.

They also ruled Mr Y should receive £500 compensation and Mrs X should get £400.

Although the report was published last week, the decision was issued to the parties in January.

A spokesman for Sunderland City Council said: "We have noted the ombudsman’s actions and are implementing them."

A spokesperson for Four Seasons Health Care said the safety and wellbeing of residents was their first priority.

They added: “We have apologised to Mrs X and addressed the areas noted in the report.

"The ombudsman has been provided with evidence that we have complied with the actions required within the given timeframe."