Our specialist elderly neglect team acted for the family of an 87-year-old Sheffield lady in a claim relating to her poor treatment in a nursing home which resulted in injury.
In September 2004, one of the carers was going on holiday and so our client’s family arranged for her to have two weeks respite care at a private nursing home.
The family notified staff at the home that our client would need cot sides on her bed, as she had previously fallen out of bed. Despite this, no cot sides were put on the bed. As a result, our client fell out of bed twice in two days, sustaining injuries. The family were not informed of these incidents and only found out when they noticed bruising to our client’s shoulder.
A few days later, our client’s family noticed that her foot was swollen. After she returned home, they noticed that her calf and hip were also bruised. Our client went to hospital where x-rays showed that she had fractured bones in her foot and her pubic rami. This had clearly been causing her a lot of pain. Her condition deteriorated and, sadly, she died two weeks later.
The injuries were caused by our client’s falls from bed while she was in the nursing home. An investigation into what happened at the home has now been undertaken by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). The report concluded that the home should have fitted cot sides to the bed, and recommended that further training be given to staff at the home. It also criticised the failure of medical staff to realise that our client had sustained injuries, and to arrange for appropriate medical help. Several other criticisms were made of the home.
We brought a clinical claim against the nursing home, focusing on the neglect suffered by our client and they agreed to pay compensation for the injuries sustained, and for financial losses such as funeral expenses.
If you or a loved one has been abused while in a care or nursing home, our personal injury solicitors could help you to claim compensation. For more information visit our Care & Nursing Home Abuse Claims page.
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