Grandmother’s death blamed on staff neglect
THE family of a grandmother who died after “neglectful” attention in a care home yesterday called for a “carers’ register” to protect others.
An inquest also ruled that the quality of care was “sub-optimal” after 84-year-old Elvira Rhodes died in April 2017 following a fall when staff tried to move her with a hoist.
Mrs Rhodes’s daughter Glenda Thompson is demanding an investigation into the tragedy at Sand Banks care home in Redcar, North Yorkshire, to make sure someone is held accountable. Her call for a carers’ register is backed by MP Anna Turley.
Mrs Thompson said: “I find it incredible that security staff working the doors are registered but there is no register for carers.
“The staff involved in my mother’s care no longer work at Sand Banks but could go and work elsewhere, and nobody would know what had happened in their previous job.
“What I want out of this is justice for my mum, and I want other people to be protected.”
She is also unhappy with the way she says her family were treated by Prestige Care which runs Sand Banks. The Care Quality Commission found the care home “requires improvement” during an inspection last November.
She claims the family were put under pressure to quickly move personal items out of her mother’s room and says Mrs Rhodes was charged a £12 taxi fare to take a carer to hospital after her fall.
A letter later sent by the group acknowledged Mrs Rhodes “suffered serious harm” in the fall and that “staff performed inadequately”, offering “a formal, unreserved apology”. But the letter made numerous errors – including getting Mrs Rhodes’s name wrong.
Ms Turley said the case raised questions about how staff who care for the vulnerable are monitored for their suitability and received sufficient training.