Woman held over care home neglect

‘We continue to co-operate fully’

POLICE have made the first arrest in a major investigation into a string of deaths at a chain of care homes. Sussex Health Care is under investigation over 12 deaths and 43 safeguarding concerns at nine of its homes.

Yesterday police arrested a woman on suspicion of neglect and fraud in connection with the probe. Last night she remained in custody. Sussex Police did not reveal whether she is a director of the firm.

The nine homes, most of them in the Horsham and Crawley area, offer nursing care for the elderly, young adults with learning difficulties, and people with severe neurological disabilities. The 12 deaths occurred between April 2015 and June 2017.

In August, West Sussex County Council stopped sending people to the homes.

It is understood a team of 17 police officers are working on the case, along with officials from the Care Quality Commission and the council’s safeguarding board. Soon after the probe was announced in July, Peter Catchpole, the county council’s deputy leader, quit his council post as cabinet member for adult social care because he is also a paid adviser for Sussex Health Care. He stood down as deputy leader later that week ‘for personal reasons’.

Last month the council took the dramatic step of removing four people from Orchard Lodge – a home for disabled young adults run by Sussex Health Care – after a ‘further risk assessment’.

During an unannounced inspection at that home in July, the CQC placed it into special measures and rated it inadequate – a rating Sussex Health Care has vigorously contested.

Yesterday Sussex Health Care said in a statement: ‘We continue to co-operate fully with the police in their investigation, and are not able to comment further at this stage.’

A spokesman added: ‘We firmly believe that, as an organisation, our care practices and training are of a high standard, and that we continue to provide quality care on a daily basis.’

The company, which has been operating for more than 30 years, runs 21 homes and other services in West Sussex.

It is owned by joint chairmen Shiraz Boghani and Shafik Sachedina, who in 2014 re-registered the firm in two companies in Jersey, SHC Clemsfold Group and SHC Rapkyns Group.