Council apologises after elderly woman given overdose

The ombudsman said the council should provide a remedy for its failure to communicate

A council has been told to pay £1,800 to a woman and her family after she was given an overdose of medication.

The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) found West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) failed to properly investigate concerns raised about her care.

She complained to WNC about the support it had arranged for her mother but an investigation found no evidence that sufficient action was taken.

The council has apologised for the distress caused.

Home support for the woman from provider Cera Care began in 2020 and her daughter first raised concerns about the standard of visits in June 2021, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Her mother ended up in hospital after failing to receive pain relief in April 2022, though the care provider claimed the daughter had agreed to administer medication herself.

She returned to hospital a few weeks later and again in June 2022, after carers gave her a 15-day overdose of prescribed medication.

The LGO said: "She was admitted to hospital for four months and suffered lasting damage, forcing her into residential care."

Cera Care is based in Colchester and says it is "redefining healthcare by moving services into people's own homes"

WNC was told to apologise to the woman and her family, pay her £1,500 for "avoidable distress" and give her daughter £300 to failing to deal with her concerns.

Matt Golby, cabinet member for adult social care, said: "WNC accept the findings from the LGO and apologise for the distress caused to both the customer and their family.

"Our priority is to ensure we provide safe, quality and effective care and we have learnt from these findings."

A spokesperson for Cera Care said: "We have not been involved in the ongoing investigation with the ombudsman.

"Any concern relating to safeguarding is addressed with the highest importance."