Stockton care home threw dead resident's belongings in skip

Piper Court offered an "insulting" £375 for the woman's lost possessions

A care home threw a resident's belongings in a skip after she died, causing her family "untold distress", a report has revealed.

Piper Court in Stockton told the woman's family they would not be able to collect her possessions for many months due to the pandemic.

The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) report said the care home's actions were "inexcusable".

Piper Court's operator Akari Care has been contacted for comment.

The LGO said the home had apologised but the apology was not "sincere" and "unreserved".

The woman's daughter accused the care provider of "showing no sincere remorse or empathy" and said she had lost irreplaceable items of sentimental value, the report said.

"It is without doubt that this caused untold distress to the family," it said.

'Insulting' offer

The resident died in April 2020 and her possessions thrown in a skip in January 2021.

The ombudsman said the care home returned a box of photographs with broken frames and shattered glass, which "caused much heartbreak".

It offered £375 as a "fair offer to substitute for the loss of belongings" but conceded it did not have an up-to-date record of the woman's possessions, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The ombudsman found this had "added to the family's distress and frustration".

The family called the offer an "insult" and the LGO said it was was "insufficient".

The ombudsman ordered the home to send a written apology to the woman's daughter with a payment of £300 to acknowledge her distress, £500 for the loss of sentimental items and £250 for the trouble of pursuing the complaint.