Informa Markets

Author Bio ▼

Safety and Health Practitioner (SHP) is first for independent health and safety news.
August 31, 2012

Get the SHP newsletter

Daily health and safety news, job alerts and resources

Pensioner suffered fatal fall from sling at nursing home

Two owners of a nursing home in Leicester have each been fined £50,000 after a resident died in a fall from a hoist.

Annie Bradley, 78, who was known as Vera, suffered from Huntingdon’s disease and was a resident at Harley House Nursing Home on Elms Road in Leicester.

Miss Bradley was immobile and on 19 July 2008 she was being transported in a sling from her bed to a specialist chair. During the manoeuvre she fell to the floor and hit her head. She died from her injuries in hospital the following day.

The HSE investigated the incident and found that the hoist was in a poor condition. The stitching on the sling was worn and damaged, which meant the support stays that should have held Miss Bradley’s head could not be used.

The investigation also identified that the balance mechanism on the hoist was not set at the right level, meaning the sling was not level when it was lifted, thus allowing Miss Bradley to slip out.

The two employees who lifted Miss Bradley had not received adequate manual handling training, specific to using this particular hoist. The home also didn’t have a system in place to assess employee competence in manual handling.

HSE inspector Dr Richenda Dixon told SHP the hoist hadn’t been examined by a competent person on a regular six-month basis, which is a legal requirement. She also explained that the sling didn’t meet current safety standards as it was nine years old and had a life expectancy of two years.€

Approaches to managing the risks associated Musculoskeletal disorders

In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, we hear from Matt Birtles, Principal Ergonomics Consultant at HSE’s Science and Research Centre, about the different approaches to managing the risks associated with Musculoskeletal disorders.

Matt, an ergonomics and human factors expert, shares his thoughts on why MSDs are important, the various prevalent rates across the UK, what you can do within your own organisation and the Risk Management process surrounding MSD’s.

Related Topics

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

9 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Flyyoufools
Flyyoufools
11 years ago

Just for information – EHO’s don’t inspect nursing homes for the purposes of health & safety. That would be the HSE….co-incidentally also why the HSE investigated the tragic accident. Probably one of their new ‘low risk’ areas though so don’t expect too many inspections!

I also understand CQC inspections to be largely topic based now too and wouldn’t necessarily be h&s competent anyway…and don’t forget that this care home apparently has a ‘good’ record!

Ray
Ray
11 years ago

A catalouge of failures – I wonder how many other h&s breaches could be found at the home if it was properly inspected. Moreover, it sounds like this nursing home has not been inspected for a good many years by an EHO. We need to know why not so as to try an preven future similar incidents. Answers on a postcard please?

Ray
Ray
11 years ago

Sharon, could not agree more. Only for the purpose of economy I did not make similar comments. I strongly suspect the previous owners sold the nursing home in the belief they would avoid prosecution.

Now that this case has highlighted a fatality in a ‘low risk’ environment surely it is incumbent on the HSE (thanks for clarifying the regulator Stephen) to inspect the other three homes. I would put money on it that they have not bothered and they would have found similar issues.

Ray
Ray
11 years ago

Health and safety is often with hindsight, more so with the regulators who are very good at prosecuting after an accident but not so good at identifying breaches before hand via proactive inspections.

This case asks many questions which we do not have the answers. Moreover, there have many reports recently of the elderly and infirm being mistreated in care homes. Sadly I suspect there will be many more before something is done to protect these vulnerable people.

Sandhya123
Sandhya123
11 years ago

I wonder how safe the other homes are too. How many other breaches have been at all the other homes as well as this in their ownership. Should they really be allowed to run residential homes. Due to their gross negligence and their money making selfish ideas an innocent elderly lady has lost her life . Is the sentence enough really?

Sandhya123
Sandhya123
11 years ago

Thanks Ray for agreeing with me, I personally think that this elderly lady has not had enough justice done to her, This case should have had a stricter approach to these owners, in order to set a judicial precedent to STOP this kind of misuse of the actual purpose of residential homes in future, these elderly people have served our country all their life, is this the type of care they deserve?

Sjperry1956
Sjperry1956
11 years ago

I can only hope the three other nursing homes have received an inspection from an EHO or HSE Inspector.

Stephen
Stephen
11 years ago

Ray,
I would suggest that no EHO has inspected this property for ‘a good many years’ bexcause it is a nursing home, and, as such enforcement reaponsibilities fall to the HSE, who you will notice took the actions described in the article!

Had it been a residential care home then the Local Authority would have enforcement responsibility.

Stephen
Stephen
11 years ago

Ray,

I would contend that no EHO has insepcted this property for health and safety purposes as it is a nursing home, and therefore, subject to enforcement by the HSE, who, you will notice, issued Improvemnt Notices, and took a formal case to court.

had the home been aresidential care home, then the Local Authority would have enforcement responsibility

Steve