Campsie View care home in Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire has been fined £30,000 after an elderly resident suffered burns when she was placed in a bath that was too hot.
Elizabeth Warrington, who was 80 at the time of the incident in September 2009, scalded her hands and feet. She was treated for three weeks at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and was discharged with no lasting effects.
Four Seasons Health Care, which runs the home, had admitted health and safety breaches after it was discovered that the bath water was between 56C and 65C when it should have been at a maximum of 43C.
It was heard at Glasgow Sheriff Court that Ms Warrington, who had been a resident of the home since April 1995, was born with a disability meaning she cannot speak. It was only when she became visibly distressed that staff became aware that there was a problem.
The two staff members involved, carer Joseph Rae and assistant carer Jacqueline Mitchellini, were suspended following the incident and chose not to return.
Four Seasons Health Care pled guilty to health and safety breaches with regards to failings in staff training and its plumbing system. Sheriff Daniel Scullion fined the company £30,000, reducing the penalty from £40,000 due to the guilty plea.
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If there is a specified maximum temperature for a bath, wouldn’t it be a simple matter to preset a thermostatically controlled mixing tap to deliver water at that temperature ?
Truely hot water can be delivered to the tap (preventing legionella) and then the tap will mix it with cold water to reach the correct temperature.
This is a common arrangement for showers, so why not use the same method for baths to remove the opportunity for human error ?
I cannot imagine how the scalds were on hands and feet. feet would denote stepping into the water .legs and buttocks would be being bodily lifted in to the water. Hands AND feet I cannot imagine how the bath was undertaken