Council pays care home resident after failings

Harrow Council was ordered to pay compensation to a woman with dementia and her daughter after an ombudsman investigation (file image)

A north London council has been ordered to pay compensation to a woman with dementia and her daughter, after a care home "failed its duty" to provide the right support.

An investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) found the woman needed dental intervention after her lower denture wasn't removed or cleaned in several months, and staff "inappropriately used a knife" to unlock her door.

Harrow Council was ordered to pay £300 in compensation to the woman and £250 to her daughter, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council apologised for "falling short of the level of care this resident should expect to receive" and said action had been taken.

Sore gums

The LGO's investigation concluded the woman, referred to in the report as Mrs Y, wasn't given appropriate oral care in line with her needs and that using a knife to open her locked door raised safeguarding concerns.

Mrs Y, who has dementia and other health issues, moved into the care home in December 2022 following a stay in hospital.

The report stated the care home provided her daughter, referred to as Miss X, with a care plan stating Mrs Y's dentures should be cleaned daily - however, it only made reference to an upper denture and not the lower one.

Miss X took her mother to the dentist in July 2023 after she complained of sore gums and the report said the dentist wrote a letter to the care provider which described Mrs Y's gum health as poor.

The dentist added they struggled to take out her lower denture, noting it "looked like it had not been removed for several months".

The report also mentioned that in October 2023, Miss X saw a knife placed on the memory box outside her mother's room and she raised her concerns with the care home after finding staff were using it to open Mrs Y's door when she locked it from the inside.

It said Miss X was concerned the knife could cause injury to her mother or other residents but the care provider "did not see the knife could cause harm", adding that although Miss X removed the knife it was back in the same place the next time she visited.

In a letter sent to Miss X from the care home manager, they apologised that a knife had been used to unlock Mrs Y's door and claimed a message advising not to do this was not passed along to all staff as some had been off work, but that staff would use a coin to unlock the door instead.

'Avoidable discomfort'

Miss X complained to the care home about this and other incidents and raised them with the Care Quality Commission, which notified the council so it could carry out a safeguarding investigation.

The council ended the investigation in January 2024 after noting the care home "was rectifying the mistakes" and that Miss X agreed there had been some improvement in her mother's care.

However, in a later meeting between the care home and Mrs Y's social worker it was mentioned the relationship with Miss X had broken down irreparably and she no longer trusted the care provider – a claim she disputed.

In late February, the care home gave Mrs Y notice to leave and she moved out in April.

The ombudsman found the care home, which is under the jurisdiction of Harrow Council, was at fault for causing for causing "frustration and uncertainty" and "avoidable discomfort" to Mrs Y.

A spokesperson for Harrow Council said it took its duty to support those in need very seriously and apologised for "falling short of the level of care this resident should expect to receive".

"We accept the findings of the ombudsman's report and will fully comply with the recommendations," they continued.

"We have assured the ombudsman that action has been taken including training and coaching for staff involved.

"The council has issued an apology to those parties involved and compensation has been accepted."