Families take action on care home neglect!

According to the BBC, St. Luke’s – which is run by Halton Borough Council – allowed one elderly resident to suffer 32 falls in only 11 months.

Eventually, the resident broke her hip and was unable to walk.

This is just one example of the widespread issues seen in care homes across the UK in the last few years.

BBC England recently analysed Care Quality Commission (CQC) statistics and found that more than 2,500 care homes across England are rated as “requiring improvement” on their assessment scale.

They found the reasons for this often involved:

• Inadequate staff training
• Failure to maintain accurate records
• Facilities failing to meet safety and cleanliness standards
• Improper management of medicines
• Insufficient management oversight

All of which are bad enough, but there were also examples of violations of residents’ rights to privacy and dignity, a fundamental part of providing suitable care.

Care home residents deserve to live with dignity and safety, but a rise in incidents has led to an increase in claims of medical negligence against care homes.

If you think that a loved one has suffered substandard care, we strongly encourage you to speak to a qualified and experienced solicitor.

By highlighting the issue and bringing a claim (which is likely to lead to a review of the care provided at the home) this could help prevent the same instances of mistreatment and care home neglect occurring in the future.

When to make a medical negligence claim

Many people fail to make claims of care home neglect until their loved one has passed away due to fear of reprisal or further mistreatment.

However, this only lengthens the time in which the individual suffers and prolongs your own stress and worry.

We suggest that you speak to a solicitor at the first sign that your loved one has suffered harm or injury due to substandard care that falls below acceptable professional standards.

This includes instances of neglect, incorrect medication administration, failure to diagnose or treat medical conditions, the appearance of pressure sores (or the deterioration of those) or any other form of inadequate care that results in physical or emotional harm.

It is important that you gather evidence, such as medical records and witness statements, and seek legal advice promptly, as there are time limits for making such claims.

Through legal professionals, you can address the harm and improve care standards for those you love.

Don’t suffer in silence. Speak to our medical negligence team for more information.