Clinical negligence team recovers £16,000 damages for avoidable pressure sore

Posted: 15/06/2016

Penningtons Manches’ clinical negligence team has recovered £16,000 from Forest Care Limited for the avoidable pain and suffering experienced by a client’s late father, Mr J, while he was under the care of Rowan Lodge Nursing Home.

The client’s elderly father suffered from Parkinson’s disease and diabetes and became a permanent resident at Rowan Lodge in early 2012. At the time, he had a sacral soreness and a vulnerability to develop pressure sores, which Penningtons Manches alleged the care home had failed to identify.

Approximately four months after Mr J became a resident at the care home, it was noted that he had developed a pressure sore. However, despite his daughter repeatedly raising concerns about her father’s deteriorating health with the nursing staff at the care home, the sore continued to develop until it became extremely deep and excruciatingly painful for Mr J.

It was alleged that the staff at Rowan Lodge failed to assess Mr J’s vulnerability and to complete assessments and follow care plans, which reveal that Mr J was not turned or repositioned regularly. It was also alleged that the staff did not care for his personal hygiene or manage his nutrition appropriately. Mr J was admitted to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital due to a fall and his deteriorating health but, on his return to Rowan Lodge, the records show that the sore was still present.

The pressure sore caused Mr J a great deal of suffering in the last few years of his life. The sore would feel excessively hot and cause him difficulty with sitting or lying down and he found it very difficult to sleep due to the significant pain. He also became very withdrawn and, after his second admission to hospital, he could no longer walk and became bed-bound. Understandably, such events were extremely distressing, not just for Mr J, but for his daughter who had to witness her father’s pain and suffering.

Investigations into Mr J’s care were lengthy and delayed by records not being disclosed when requested. Sadly, Mr J passed away during the process of the claim but it is hoped that the settlement will provide some compensation and closure for the family.

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