Daughter speaks of father's 'cruel' Newbury care home death

Fred King was "one in a million and should have died peacefully", his daughter said

A daughter has said she is still trying to process the "cruel way" in which her father died after being neglected by care home staff.

Fred King, 78, died in 2021 from kidney damage due to dehydration during a heatwave.

Birchwood Care Home in Newbury deprived him of sufficient fluids in the two days before his death, a coroner found.

West Berkshire Council, which runs the site, previously said it had improved safety procedures at all of its homes.

Karen King, from Thatcham, said her father was clearly dehydrated when her sister visited him on Monday, 6 September, 2021.

She said: "He was all dry around the mouth. His tongue was really dry.

"He was one in a million and should have died peacefully."

She said her sister requested that he see the visiting doctor the following day, but that did not happen.

Ms King said: "It took my sister to scream at the nurse to call an ambulance but they wouldn't do it.

"It wasn't until Wednesday 8pm that anybody took action from our observations."

Birchwood Care Home deprived Mr King of sufficient fluids

Previously Berkshire assistant coroner Jenny Goldring said family concerns about Mr King's health were not properly recorded by the home.

She added a "rider of neglect" to her narrative inquest conclusion due to the records failure, his inability to eat or drink without help, and the hot weather.

In a Prevention of Future Deaths report, the coroner said while outside temperatures rose to 30C (86F), he was given a total of 1,755ml (3 pints) of fluid over the course of 7 and 8 September.

She said the minimum level of fluid he required was 1,200ml (2 pints) per day.

Mr King was taken to hospital on 8 September but died the following day.

West Berkshire Council previously offered its condolences to Mr King's family and said it took the coroner's concerns seriously.

In a statement it said: "A new manager was recruited to support staff and raise standards.

"Improvements have also been made to reporting and auditing in our care homes, including a new electronic care record system which was introduced in March 2022."