Wakefield couple 'left in soiled clothing' by carers

The couple's family reported carers arrived late, made medication errors and used mobile phones on duty

An elderly couple were left in soiled clothes and wet bedding by carers who were supposed to look after them, a report has found.

Workers from a home care agency hired for the couple by Wakefield Council arrived late and "failed to treat them with dignity".

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report said the care provider had failed the couple and their family

The council has apologised and was told to pay £750 to the couple's family.

Details of the agency who delivered the care were not revealed by the ombudsman, despite it being directly responsible for the failings, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It was employed by the council in May 2019 to visit the couple, referred to as Mr and Mrs Y in the report, twice a day.

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They were expected to help them get out of bed, get washed and dressed and prepare food for them.

But within a month of the arrangement starting, the couple's son and daughter reported the carers were arriving late, failing to give them medication correctly and using their mobile phones instead of delivering care.

The report said the elderly couple were on one occasion "left in soiled clothes and wet bedding".

It added: "The care contractor failed to provide the standard of care Mr and Mrs Y and (their family) may reasonably expect.

"Nobody should be left soiled, wearing soiled clothes or in wet or soiled bedding. That is not preserving their dignity.

"As the council's contractor, the council is responsible for that poor care."

Anna Hartley, the authority's director of public health, said: "We fully accept the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's findings and have sincerely apologised to the family concerned for the distress they experienced."