The report released in July 2017 has revealed that one in three nursing homes in England are failing on safety. The main causes include drug errors, lack of staff and falls.
Care homes too have similar problems with just below a quarter of care homes/home helps being rated as not safe enough. Likewise, community support including sheltered accommodation are not performing to a sufficient standard with 17% falling short.
Several examples have been highlighted in the recent review including unsupervised falls, instances of residents being put back to bed as there were insufficient staff available, drug errors, poor staff management etc.
Inspectors have successfully prosecuted some of the nursing/care homes involved and a 1000 homes have had enforcement action taken against them which at the very worst involves closing them down.
These new damning statistics are inevitably going to raise concerns amongst not only residents themselves but also their families/relatives. It seems that more than ever, it is paramount to check the latest Care Quality Commission report on a home particularly before selecting one in the first instance. It would also be prudent to carry out at least one inspection prior to choosing a home. For those who are dissatisfied with a home they or their family already resides in, it would be sensible to discuss concerns with a Social Worker particularly if you are concerned about safety.
At Garratts we know all too well how errors/mistakes in community care/care and nursing homes can have a significant impact on a person's health and wellbeing. Such errors and mistakes can lead to a significant deterioration in health, severe injuries and in some cases, even the death of loved ones.
Garratts has particular expertise in care/nursing home negligence having successfully claimed on behalf of residents and family members in previous cases. We also have a number of ongoing cases of a similar nature. Common examples that we see frequently include falls that could and should have been prevented, the handling of a person following a fall, bed sores/pressure ulcers which are largely preventable whether this be failures by the care staff themselves and/or failures by community care staff such as District Nurses.
We also have our COPE Team who are specially trained to work with vulnerable adults including those with Dementia, ensuring empathetic and practical legal advice is received. Perhaps you or a member of your family is making the change to a nursing home, our Wills and Probate Team can offer tailored advice regarding the planning for later life.
If you feel that you or your relative has been a victim of care/nursing home negligence or that you require assistance from our Wills and Probate or COPE teams, please contact us on 0161 665 3502 to discuss matters further. Â
