An 87 year old lady died after falling from a bed she was in, in a nursing home in Teesside. Doris Margaret Blenkinsop, better known as Dolly had two previous falls leading up to the fatal incident.
A care assistant working night duty was worried about further falls and so placed a high backed armchair next to Dolly’s bed in an attempt to prevent a fall. She checked on her every half hour but shortly after 3 in the morning found Dolly in an “unnatural position”. She was caught between a set of drawers and her bed. Her head was on the floor with her legs over her head. The death was caused by postural asphyxiation.
No evidence was found that this was a regular method of keeping someone in bed at this home and the daughter of Dolly, who is district nurse, mentioned at the inquest that she was very happy with the manner in which Southern Cross cared for her mother.
The carer had acted in what she thought was the best interests of the patient, but unfortunately did not foresee the consequences of her actions.
A verdict of accidental death was recorded.
A quick look at the CSCI report for this home shows that bedrails are given serious consideration and a structure is in place for assessment. Their moving and handling training was also good.
If you are a moving and handling instructor, use this information in your training to show that it is not just a theoretical possibility.
