Care Home Negligence: Making a Claim
We all care for our relatives, and it can be a very difficult decision to move elderly family members into care homes. Thankfully, most care homes in the UK uphold an excellent standard of care and ensure the safety and wellbeing of your loved ones. There are, unfortunately, some care homes that may be operating below an acceptable standard of care.
What are the most common injuries in care homes?
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Falls.
Injuries due to falls are the most common within care homes, however, with the right risk assessment and supervision, falls should not be happening even if a resident is at high risk. If a family member who lives in a care home has experienced a fall and or injury, you should arrange a meeting with the nurse in charge to discuss the accident and take measures to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
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Pressure Ulcers.
Commonly known as bedsores or pressure sores, these occur when an immobile person is not moved frequently enough, resulting in lack of blood flow to a particular area and subsequent tissue damage.
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Medication Errors.
With most residents in care homes requiring daily medications to deal with illnesses such as heart disease, dementia, Parkinson’s and diabetes, it’s essential that these medications are administered correctly and regularly. However, there are cases in which medications have been forgotten or even administered in incorrect dosages. These types of errors could be minimally damaging or life-threatening.
What should I do if a family member experiences negligence?
It’s very important that you pursue meetings with care home management if you discover your relative has had an accident. Often, if care homes believe they are at fault, they will try to avoid a meeting with you, so it’s essential to stay consistent.
Below are some helpful questions to ask that may put you on the right path:
- Has my relative had a fall-risk assessment? If so, what were the results of that?
- Was my relative unsupervised when they fell?
- Was there a witness to the fall?
- What equipment is in place to ensure this doesn’t happen again?
- Does my relative have a pre-existing condition that would make them more susceptible to bedsores?
- May I see my relative’s medication charts to see the drugs prescribed and the times administered?
Having peace of mind about the safety and well-being of elderly relatives who live in care homes is essential. We recommend using the Care Inspectorate website so assess what care homes you may have available to you that are nearby as well as the quality of these care homes before you decide where to place your elderly relative.
If you have been injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault and you would like more information, please feel free to get in touch with one of our personal injury claim lawyers, no win no fee solicitors.
