Care home company fined £50,000 after elderly woman suffers serious burns

‘We hope this result sends a message to all care home providers that they must always ensure people’s safety,’ says watchdog

The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution pleaded guilty and was fined £50,000 plus legal costs. File photo. (Getty/iStock)

A care home provider has been fined £50,000 after an elderly woman fell and became trapped against a hot pipe suffering serious injuries.

Avril McCreeth fell at Cornwallis Court, a nursing home in Bury St Edmunds for older people with dementia, in January 2016. She landed against a hot pipe and was unable to move, suffering serious burns to her back.

The home’s owner, The Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI), was prosecuted by the care watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for failing to provide safe care and treatment to residents which resulted in avoidable harm.

The regulator has now warned other care home companies of the dangers of hot pipes and threatened to bring more prosecutions if necessary.

On Friday, Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court heard an investigation by the regulator found the RMBI, which runs 19 homes for almost 1,000 residents across the country, had failed to have systems and processes in place to protect patients from hot surfaces such as pipes. Had it done so the burns Ms McCreeth suffered could have been avoided.

The RMBI pleaded guilty and was fined £50,000 plus legal costs.

Jemima Burnage, CQC head of inspection for adult social care, said: “Avril McCreeth and her family had every right to expect safe care. This is a distressing case and our thoughts and sympathies are with her family.

“While we welcome the fact that the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution accepted responsibility in this case, we would always rather not be in the position of having to take action because vulnerable people have been failed by those providing their care.

“The risk of people sustaining serious burns from uncovered pipes is something all care homes should be aware of. We hope this result sends a message to all care home providers that they must always ensure people’s safety and manage risks to their wellbeing.

“When a care provider has put people in its care at serious risk of harm, we will hold them to account, using our powers to bring prosecutions where appropriate.”

The care home company was prosecuted under powers given to the CQC following the Mid Staffordshire care scandal and subsequent public inquiry in 2013. It requires care homes and NHS hospitals to ensure care and treatment is delivered in a safe way.

Ms McCreeth has since died but her death was not linked to injuries sustained in the fall at Cornwallis Court.