Care Home fine for death
A care home company has been fined £100,000 after an elderly resident died after falling from a hoist while being moved.
The 91 year old lady, suffered head injuries in the incident at Nursing Home, and she died in hospital ten days later.
Two carers at the Care Homes operated facility, had placed her into a sling to move her from the bed to a chair.
A sling, a piece of fabric designed to take the weight of a person, is placed under the individual and is attached by means of a series of hooks, loops or clips to a patient hoist which is then operated to lift and transfer the individual.
While the hoist was stationary one carer turned away to pick up the elderly resident's slippers and the other carer was behind the mast of the hoist. The elderly lady fell forwards to the ground and suffered a five-inch wound across her scalp and bruising to her head. She was taken to hospital but did not recover and died more than a week later.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into her death found the sling loop fixings attached to the hoist were wrongly adjusted. A safety pommel, which would have prevented her from falling, had not been used.
The court also heard staff at the home had not received any information, instruction or training in the use of the sling, the pommel or the sling loop fixings. The sling loop fixings were not recorded in the risk assessment or the care plan for her and there was no safe working procedure for the sling.
The Care Home pleaded guilty and was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £50,000 costs.
Updated on 9/20/2011