Mrs Davies from Newton-le-Willows temporarily placed her mother, Mrs Mather, into Seddon Court care home in St Helens on June 14th 2012. During her short stay, Mrs Mather suffered a fall while the staff were taking a break.
Mrs Mather was taken to hospital without any of her care plans or medication for her long standing history of illness. However, while at hospital it became clear that Mrs Mather had fractured her hip as a result of the fall and would have to have an operation.
In the few days following the operation, she was noted to be wheezy and short of breath and, unfortunately, Mrs Mather died on June 21st 2012.
Mrs Davies sought legal action against Seddon Court care home for breaching their duty of care including failing to devise an individual care plan and failing to provide the hospital with medication after her mother's fall. The care home settled the claim without admitting any liability.
Mrs Davies, from Newton-le-Willows, said: "We were very angry at the lack of professionalism shown when we went to the care home following Mum's fall. When we went to the care home to speak to a member of staff, we were kept waiting while they finished their tea break.
“We returned back to the care home on a number of occasions to collect my mother’s medication. We noticed that my mother’s eye drops were unopened and therefore had not been administered as required.
“When I rang to inform the home of my mothers passing I was really disappointed with the manager’s lack of compassion. There was no apology intended.
"I want to tell others about my experience so other families can be aware of the neglect people can suffer in a care home. I was relieved that we finally received justice for what the care home put our family through.”
Carla Twist, a clinical negligence solicitor from Stephensons Solicitors LLP who acted on behalf of Mrs Davies, said: “By bringing a clinical negligence claim against the care home, we were able to help the family have their concerns documented, considered and ultimately, obtain compensation for the inappropriate care that Mrs Mather received at Seddon Court care home.
"When families place their loved ones in the care of another, they should have the right to expect they will be treated with a high standard of care. Care homes offer an invaluable service, but sometimes the care provided can be inadequate or negligent. In this case, we highlighted to the home the failures in their risk assessment process so that incidents like this will hopefully not occur in the future.”
The Seddon Court care home, that currently houses six residents, announced its impending closure in June.
ENDS
About Stephensons
Stephensons is an award-winning law firm providing a range of legal services to individuals and businesses.
Media information: Lianne Tracey and Chloe Kendall
Stephensons Solicitors LLP
Tel: 01616 966 229 or 01616 966 229
Email: lct@stephensons.co.uk or cke@stephensons.co.uk