Croydon woman’s back was broken by a home-help device after the council withdrew care funding.

A Croydon woman fractured her spine using a bed-turning aid that the NHS had installed after the council withdrew funding for the woman’s night-time care. 

The NHS instead installed a turning system. But she only used the system for two nights before injuring her lower back, leaving her in considerable pain. A scan later diagnosed her with a fractured spine.

“While the council and NHS were deciding who should be responsible for this woman’s care package, she was left without adequate care and support and was hospitalised on multiple occasions,” said local government and social care ombudsman Amerdeep Somal. 

The woman, who uses a wheelchair and is dependent on care staff to meet her needs originally received payments for care staff to help her overnight until January 2022. The council decided, after reassessment following the scan, that any overnight care should be paid by the NHS. But she would only receive this funding if she was in a nursing home.

An interim plan should have been introduced

In September 2023, she told the council she had serious problems with deep pressure sores that were putting her health at risk because she was not being turned overnight.

She was admitted to hospital in November 2023 and in January 2024 a professionals meeting was held which concluded the woman needed turning every three to four hours overnight. And although the council increased the funding the woman received for day-time care, it reiterated the NHS should fund overnight care.

The woman was again admitted to hospital in April 2024 and complained to the ombudsman. The council told the ombudsman it had started funding night-time care in August 2024 and intended to claim the money back from the NHS.

“If there is any question, once an assessment has been completed, of who is responsible for funding a care package, the person in need of support should never feel the impact of this on their health and welfare. The council should have considered putting in an interim plan while discussions were ongoing with the NHS,” said Somal.