ON MARCH 8 the Wiltshire Times published a report on the inquest into the death of a 92-year-old woman from the Firlawn Nursing Home, The Street, Holt.

The home's owner, Chad Doveton, protested to the Press Complaints Commission, claiming the report was an unfair account.

The PCC has ruled that the Wiltshire Times did not breach its code.

This is the text of the PCC's ruling:

"The Commission has considered the complaint from Mr Doveton.

"The Commission has decided that no matters have been raised which show a breach of the Code.

"The Commission noted the complainant's concerns that the article gave a misleading account of the inquest into the death of a patient at his nursing home. It noted that the complainant considered that the piece had unduly criticised the establishment in light of the recent death of a patient, and had either not reported accurately, or emphasised insufficiently, the other circumstances attendant upon this incident.

"However, the Commission also noted that the strapline above the headline made clear that 'Inspection clears well-known nursing home after allegations of neglect'. The Commission considered that the article had clearly established that the death of Mrs Wilcox was due to a 'chronic heart-disease which could have killed her at any time' and not the bed-sores on her body. The Commission also noted that the existence of the bed-sores prior to admission at the home was also included in the piece. It accepted that a central point of contention with the complainant was the emphasis on the patient's bed-sores in the article, and the fact that she had not been placed on a pressure relieving mattress. Regarding this issue, the Commission noted that the piece included remarks of the nursing home's matron manager to the effect that no mattress was necessary as a balance to the perspective of the tissue viability nurse, who reportedly considered that a mattress should have been obtained.

"The Commission has received no complaint from either nurse, and noted that the transcript of the reporter's notes clearly substantiated the quotations included in the piece.

"The Commission acknowledged the complainant's concerns that the article included an implied criticism of the home for not owning a suitable mattress, but noted that it did make reference to their policy of hiring one and to the fact that the Health Authority had 'no concerns about its care standards'. The Commission considered that the readers would not have been necessarily misled as to the situation described by the inquest, but would have recognised that it did not place direct blame upon the home for the death of the patient. In case of any confusion on the subject, the Commission was pleased to note that your paper published three letters in praise of standards at the home, one of which explicitly addressed the fact that the report may not have been sufficiently clear on the subject.

"In the circumstances, the Commission concluded that, by the publication of such pieces, your newspaper had provided sufficient redress under the terms of the Code.

"The Commission was aware that the complainant did not consider that the article made sufficient reference to the GP at the heart of this case, but had unfairly emphasised only the recommendations directed at the home. However, it noted that the article did not state that the 'long list of recommendations' was directed solely at the home, but could refer to all healthcare agencies, and did not consider that the sentence was significantly misleading in breach of the Code.

Ultimately, the Commission concluded that the article had sought to describe the role of the nursing home in the death of Mrs Wilcox, and that no significant inaccuracies had been established on this point. It considered that the article, when taken as a whole, did not represent a misleading account of the situation that would require further action on the part of your newspaper.

"We are grateful to you for your co-operation in dealing with this matter."