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Exeter house ruled not negligent
AN inquest today ruled a Sale Moor care home was not negligent - despite three of its elderly patients dying all within the space of a month.
Police launched an investigation into the care home following the deaths of three of its patients in hospital shortly after a stay there.
But despite a major investigation the Crown Prosecution Service concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to launch criminal proceedings against the owners of Exeter House, on Skaife Road.
Alice Rimmer, 89, died in hospital after she was admitted with a suspected broken hip.
Her son David had raised concerns with social services of the care of his mother after her weight dropped dramatically and she became increasingly immobile.
She was moved to another home where they assessed that she had bruises to her body, a suspected broken hip and took her immediately to hospital.
She died in hospital on March 6 and a post mortem revealed the cause of death to be bronchial pneumonia - which was caused by her immobility problems due to her broken hip bone.
The inquest recorded an open verdict because it was unclear where and when Mrs Rimmer had broken her hip.
David told the inquest at Stockport Magistrates' Court:: "I found out she had suffered a fall at Exeter House from the police investigating her death because they found reference to it in one of the log books.
"But we don't know any more about it. I specifically asked to be called if there was any problems with my mother regarding her health in any way. I asked that of staff many times - yet I was never told of this fall.
"We still don't know when and where it happened. My brother and I noticed over a period of about two weeks my mother had dropped over 10 kgs. As soon as we moved her she seemed happier and less isolated."
Roy Harrison, 78, died in hospital just four days later after he was taken to hospital following a number of falls.
Staff at Exeter House witnessed Mr Harrison fall over three times in an hour and despite knowing that he had an aneurism in his abdomen - failed to call an ambulance.
Instead staff monitored him overnight and it was the following morning staff noticed a swelling to his neck.
However rather than call for an ambulance, manager Stephen Mills - son to the owners - took the patient to hospital where he later died.
A post mortem revealed that Mr Harrison had suffered several broken ribs in his falls which had punctured his lung - causing emphysema.
The inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death. The coroner said: "I have considered the cause of neglect in this case but neglect has a very specific nature in a coroner's court and can only be recorded if there was a gross failure to give standard care.
"I do not think that there was gross failure - I do think there was a failure.
"This man had fallen three times, he had just had his medication changed, he was suffering from dementia and staff were aware that he had an aneurism in his abdomen - I would have thought in those circumstances it would have been sensible to call an ambulance . but unbelievably in my view the decision was taken to take him to hospital in a car rather than an ambulance."
Joan Smith, 82 - also cared for at Exeter house - died in hospital just two weeks after Mr Harrison.
She had been a temporary patient at the home while her sister in law - her nearest relative - tried to sell her house in order to pay for care elsewhere.
Mrs Sonia Norris, Mrs Smith's sister in law, told the court that she had concerns about the home from the start.
Mrs Norris said: "The place smelt horribly - it was a terrible place. It reeked of urine. We were not happy with the quality of care there and the food. Joan would often complain about the care from the staff and she told me that she didn't like the doctor who came to see her.
"She didn't like the food there and if she didn't eat it there was nothing else. The weight just dropped off her.
"She told me that she had fallen out of bed a few times and had been left there shivering. I asked the staff and they said her buzzer had been disconnected."
The coroner recorded the death as from natural causes after he said there was no proven link between the care she received and her death.
DI Ross Andrew Ross, who led the police investigation told the coroner the CPS had taken the decision that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a criminal investigation but that civil proceedings against the owners Mr and Mrs Mills were being investigated by the Commission for Social Justice Inspectorate.
4:41pm Thursday 8th May 2008
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