Age Concern homes change procedures
Care homes run by Age Concern Norfolk have changed their procedure for telling next-of-kin about the death of a resident after concerns following the death of an 81-year-old man.
Care homes run by Age Concern Norfolk have changed their procedure for telling next-of-kin about the death of a resident after concerns following the death of an 81-year-old man.
Staff will now inform next-of-kin immediately, and this duty will no longer sometimes be left to an outside organisation such as the police.
An inquest at the Assembly House, in Norwich, heard yesterday how Richard Davies, of Peter Avenue, Acle, died just before 1am on September 13 last year at Age Concern Norfolk's Herondale care home in Acle.
But a policeman who attended the care home told the inquest he had decided not to contact Mr Davies' wife Elizabeth until later as he did not want to disturb her so early in the morning.
On September 12, Mr Davies, who was on a two-week respite stay at the home, had fallen off the end of his bed at
about 5pm, and at 8pm he was also found on his bedroom floor with a cut above his left eye.
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Staff told the inquest that following both falls they had checked Mr Davies was okay, and as a precaution he was checked every 15 minutes throughout the night. An out-of-hours GP service had said it was not necessary for a visit from a doctor. But at about 12.50am a care worker found Mr Davies had died.
A doctor's statement said Mr Davies had been suffering from dementia and an advanced stage of Parkinson's Disease. He was frail, confused, and had a high risk of falls and of serious injury.
A post-mortem showed Mr Davies died of a subdural haemorrhage from a head injury and Greater Norfolk District Coroner William Armstrong recorded a verdict of accidental death.
Age Concern Norfolk is also responsible for Ethel Tipple Court in Hellesdon
