Substandard nursing home care causes death
A clinical negligence solicitor from our Birmingham office helped a family claim compensation after a man died due to substandard nursing home care.
When previously active Ronald Kemble (aged 81) suffered a stroke, his daughter Joanne was advised that he would require 24 hour care for the remainder of his life. As such, Joanne wanted to ensure that the full-time care which her father received would be of the highest possible standard.
When previously active Ronald Kemble (aged 81) suffered a stroke, his daughter Joanne was advised that he would require 24 hour care for the remainder of his life. As such, Joanne wanted to ensure that the full-time care which her father received would be of the highest possible standard.
After inspecting 5 other care homes, Joanne settled on BUPA managed Warrens Hall Nursing Home in Tividale to care for her father. Joanne felt content in the knowledge that Warrens Hall had assured her that they were able to cope with her father’s specific needs including the management of the feeding tube Mr. Kemble required on account of his swallowing problems following his stroke.
Mr. Kemble had been at Warrens Hall for only 2 days when the nursing staff inserted his feeding tube incorrectly and the feed was channelled into his lung rather than his stomach.
Unfortunately, the mistake went undetected by the nursing staff. It was only when – 4 hours later – Joanne visited her father that she noticed he was in distress and could not breathe properly. He was immediately taken to hospital but despite attempts to remove the fluid from his lungs, sadly 5 days later Mr. Kemble died.
Following Mr. Kemble’s tragic death, there was an inquest held and it was discovered that the staff at Warrens Hall Nursing Home were using outdated nursing procedures which had been discredited by the National Patients Safety Agency (NPSA) two years previously as unreliable and unsafe.
With the assistance of clinical negligence solicitor, Victoria Blankstone, the family successfully pursued a claim. The family received a sum of compensation for Mr. Kemble’s pain and suffering and for the care provided by Joanne to her father as a result of the failure of the nursing staff at Warrens Hall Nursing Home to adequately care for Mr. Kemble.