Court rules elderly man’s care home death an accident

A court has ruled that the death of an elderly man who fell at a home in the West Midlands was an accident.

Frank Pearson, 88, died in hospital shortly after being found on the bathroom floor at Amberley Care Home in Brierley Hill on September 24, the Express & Star reported.

Coroner Emma Serrano said: “I conclude that Mr Pearson’s death was an unfortunate accident. It appears care home staff were cleaning after dinner. Mr Pearson took himself to the toilet. He has then fallen which has caused his injuries.”

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Mr Pearson was taken to hospital but died four days later from his injuries.

The court heard that Mr Pearson had gone to the bathroom on his own despite the care home’s policy of always accompanying residents to the toilet.

The home was rated ‘requires improvement’ following its last inspection by the CQC in October.

Inspectors commented: “Risks to people’s safety were not consistently managed and action was not taken to mitigate those risks to ensure people received safe care.

“Accidents were not analysed to assess for any patterns and trends and to introduce measures to reduce further risks. Audits of the environment had not been undertaken to ensure all areas of the home were safe for people to use.”

Amberley Care Home declined to comment when contacted by the newspaper.