Settlement of claim for inadequate nursing care provided to dementia patient

We dealt with a claim on behalf of the estate of an elderly resident of Osbourne Court Care Home in Baldock, Hertfordshire. She suffered from dementia and had been a resident since January 2007.

Her niece had complained to the management of the home on numerous occasions about the nursing care that her aunt received but saw no improvement. During her visits, she frequently found her to be unwashed, smelling of urine and left unattended in vulnerable circumstances. She had also not received the oral care which she needed. Her aunt was eventually admitted to hospital in May 2014, where she was diagnosed with severe dehydration and received IV fluids. 

Investigations resulted in the lady being placed under the care of Social Services as a protected person under the Vulnerable Adults Act. A Safeguarding Adults Case Conference, which took place in June 2014, concluded that the allegations were substantiated and that the patient should not return to Osbourne Court. She was therefore allowed to stay in an alternative care home, where she received one to one care up until her death in 2015. 

A claim relating to the standard of care provided was made against Four Seasons Healthcare which operated Osbourne Court. It was settled at an early stage following a full admission of liability by the defendant.

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