A nursing home in Swadlincote has received further criticism after a coroner found that staff were ‘too slow’ to call for emergency help before the death of an 89-year-old father-of-two and grandfather-of-one.
Edward ‘Ted’ Mason, of Nunsfield Drive, Alvaston, was admitted to Nether Hall Care Home in 2016 after he was diagnosed with inoperable and terminal cancer in the spine, which had caused paralysis.
On 4 August 2016, Mr Mason – who was an active member of the veteran’s team of Alvaston and Boulton Bowls Club, in Boulton Lane, before his diagnosis – was admitted to Derby Royal Hospital from the home, but died days later from complications after a bedsore, which measured 17cm across and was deep enough to reveal bone, became infected.
At an inquest into his death, which concluded on Thursday, 25 July at Derby Coroner’s Court, assistant coroner Miss Louise Pinder found that the home was ‘too slow’ to call for emergency help and did not carry out an adequate investigation following Mr Mason’s death.
The coroner passed her concerns onto the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the government body that is responsible for inspecting care homes.
As highlighted previously by the Derby Telegraph, Nether Hall Care Home has twice been judged as ‘requires improvement’ by the CQC, with the latest report being published in February 2019. The two judgements occurred after the care home was taken over by Larchwood Care Homes, which owns and runs more than 50 homes caring for the elderly and dementia patients, in 2015.
The inquest, which was described by the coroner as ‘complex’, has taken three years to complete. Mr Mason’s family said they have found the length of time taken and the repeated sittings of the Court difficult to cope with emotionally.
His daughter, Helen Mason, who gave evidence at the inquest, told the coroner that she was the person who noticed the infection, which appeared to have been missed by staff at the home. She added:
“Throughout this process, we have had to revisit dad’s death in great detail each time and it has been extremely draining.”
Mr Mason’s son, Paul Mason, added:
“Dad was a strong and independent man who was the centre of our family following the death of our mum in 1995. We were aware that his illness was terminal, but we had hoped for a more dignified ending than this.”
Matthew Olner, inquest specialist and partner in our Medical Negligence team, represented the Mason family during the hearing. He confirmed that the family are continuing to pursue a civil claim against the care home, adding:
“Mr Mason’s death has left a gap in his family that will never be filled. The inquest raised some concerns about the standard of care at Nether Hall Care Home and the Mason family hopes this will be addressed so no one else has to suffer how they have. I hope the family can take some closure from the inquest’s findings.”