Fears on nursing home after death (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Fears on nursing home after death

Nursing home owner Ruth Woodhouse, left, and business consultant Jenny Johnson (17626/4)THE family of Winifred Furse, 88, who died at a Bromham nursing home which is under scrutiny by a Government commission, have expressed concerns about the way it is run.

An inquest in Devizes on Friday, found that Mrs Furse, who fell down a steep embankment in the garden of Sandridge Tower Nursing Home in September 2004, died of natural causes.

But at the inquest Mrs Furse's family said their concerns over medication practices are backed up by inspection reports by the Commission for Social Care Inspection and a multi agency investigation.

It is understood that the findings of the inquest into Mrs Furse's death and the result of a follow up inspection by the Commission will be central to the outcome of the multi agency investigation.

Ruth Woodhouse, the home's owner, strongly denied residents were at risk and said the Commission had been overzealous.

A number of enforcement notices were served on the home, which has five elderly residents, last December and signed off by the Commission in March.

But following an inspection about two months ago some of the same issues were identified and as a result the Commission has given the home 52 requirements to meet. A follow up inspection will take place shortly.

Of the 52 requirements, 13 relate to medicines, of which six had been identified at previous inspections.

The Commission said practices regarding medication at the home have been of concern since the findings of a complaint investigation in late 2003 resulting in the serving of a statutory requirement notice to enforce the appropriate management of medication, which was complied with.

Lead inspector Susie Stratton said in the latest inspection report: "The poor systems for the management of medicines puts all in the home at risk."

She said the home had been investigated for a medication error that resulted in two patients receiving each other's medication.

She said the error had not caused any harm to the patients.

Ray Veasey, a spokesman for the Commission, said: "Clearly there have been concerns for some time over Sandridge Tower Nursing Home. A lot of these still remain."

Mrs Woodhouse, a registered nurse for 49 years, who has run the nursing home for the last eight years, accused the Commission of trying to shut her home down. Mrs Woodhouse has employed a business consultant, Jenny Johnson, since January this year to respond to the Commission.

She said the public had nothing to fear from her nursing home.

She said: "We believe we have the best nursing home in the area. The inspection report on my nursing home sounds dreadful but the findings are not as serious as they sound.

"There are grains of truth in the inspection report but they have made mountains out of molehills and they are being overzealous." Resident Alma Saye, 94, told the Gazette: "It's wonderful. I'm happy and looked after." Resident Alice Garner, 89, said: "It is good here. Everybody is kind."