A care home resident dies in accidents every two days in Scotland

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A care home resident dies every two days from a fall or serious accident in Scotland, figures have revealed.

National Records of Scotland figures revealed there were 187 deaths last year as a result of accidents, falls, poisoning, self-harm and assault.

Lesley Carcary, of Action on Elder Abuse, told The Times: “All too often we come across horror stories such as these where elderly residents are regularly harmed, abused or neglected in the very place they should feel safe. Our elderly population deserve to feel safe and protected in care homes, not living in fear and distress.

“Action on Elder Abuse wants the harm and abuse of older people to be as socially unacceptable as other forms of abuse.”

Care Inspectorate figures revealed the number of care home injuries rose by over 50% in the past five years from 882 in 2014-15 to 1,325 last year.

There were 7,400 incidents when elderly people could have suffered ‘harm or loss’, including 3,000 accidents. A dozen enforcement notices in the year to March 2019 by the Care Inspectorate.

Incidents included medication errors, attacks by other residents, injuries from ‘flying objects’, choking or contact with harmful substances.

A Care Inspectorate spokesman said: “We expect all care experienced by people to meet the national health and social care standards. We work closely with care providers to share good practice on how to reduce risks and keep people safe. While the majority of care services in Scotland perform well, we do not hesitate to take action where people experience care that is not as good as it should be.”

The post A care home resident dies in accidents every two days in Scotland appeared first on Care Home Professional.

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