The care home operator was fined £1.8 million after the death of an elderly resident at its home in Inverness.
Care home operator HC-One has been fined £1.8 million at Inverness Sheriff Court after the death of a 96-year-old resident of Cradlehall Care Home in the city.
The resident was on a specialist diet of soft, moist and bite-sized food, and her care plan stated that she should be closely supervised when eating and drinking. On the afternoon of 11 June 2022, the unit in which she was accommodated was staffed by two agency carers who had responsibility for 12 residents.
At about 1745, the woman was served a meal of macaroni and chips while sitting up in bed. Her carer left to get a drink to accompany her meal, but was then forced to deal with immediate issues with two other residents, which required her to call for assistance from another unit.
As a result of this disruption, the resident was left on her own for up to 20 minutes.
The carer raised the alarm, and other staff came to assist. A paramedic arrived shortly afterwards and pronounced her dead.
“The death of this vulnerable woman could have been prevented if a safe system of work were in place to ensure that on any occasion she ate a meal, she was subject to an appropriate level of supervision,” said Debbie Carroll, who leads on health and safety investigations for the The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), Scotland’s public prosecution service and death investigation authority.
“HC-One’s failure left all residents at risk. This prosecution should reiterate the need for all care homes to protect their residents and remind them they will be held accountable if they fail to do so,” she added.
