‘All possible contributory factors’ to the death of dementia sufferer Doreen Livermore – who died weeks after being attacked by a fellow care home resident – will now be fully considered as part of ongoing legal investigations.
Hudgell Solicitors are instructed by the family of 89-year-old Mrs Livermore, who died six weeks after being knocked to the floor in an assault by a fellow male resident at Amberley Hall Care Home, in King’s Lynn, breaking her hip.
Instructions from Mrs Livermore’s daughter, Valerie Wheddon, were to investigate possible failings to protect her mother.
It followed a number of prior violent incidents involving the male resident and Mrs Livermore, with the family raising concerns with both the home and safeguarding about the very real threat posed.
Now, an investigation by Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board, which also concerned the death of an unrelated resident in the care home, has highlighted a number of issues.
These included the care home’s ability to manage the risk posed by the male resident, as well as the involvement of other agencies.
Report has ‘highlighted a number of concerns’
Medical negligence solicitor Chris Brown, of Hudgell Solicitors, said: “The newly published Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board report, which we have been awaiting for some time in this case, has highlighted a number of concerns.
“It refers to at least nine separate incidents of residents being hit or punched in the head or face area by the male resident in the care home between his admission in June and December 2017.
“The review makes reference to reports of these attacks between the care home and the safeguarding team failing to reflect the wider context of the violence in terms of its frequency and breadth.
“Four of those attacks were against Mrs Livermore, the final one resulting in her suffering a broken hip. Mrs Livermore sadly passed away just six weeks later.
“The report highlights that concern had been raised by a Dementia Intensive Support Team Nurse back in August 2017 about the risk posed by the male resident to staff and residents, and that the male resident should not be in the care home.
“However, he remained in the home and numerous subsequent incidents occurred until he was finally removed after a Mental Health Act Assessment had been completed.
“In cases such as this, it is imperative that agencies and care providers have the appropriate communications and procedures in place to act swiftly and effectively.
“We are considering all possible contributory factors with regards to failing to prevent Mrs Livermore from suffering these injuries, including the other agencies involved.”
Incident and surgery ‘set in motion a chain of deterioration’
Mrs Livermore, who had been living at Amberley Hall since 2009, remained in hospital over Christmas 2017 and was admitted back into the care home, where she died on January 31, 2018.
The Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board report states that the incident and subsequent surgery ‘seemed to set in motion a chain of deterioration in her physical and emotional health.’
Last week, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Jonathan Warren issued a public apology after Communications Manager Mark Prentice accidently e-mailed an internal email to a journalist in which he told colleagues the Trust had “got away” with its failings being highlighted in the media, due to coverage of the death of Monty Python star, Terry Jones.
