Published: Thursday, 1st January, 1970 12:00am

Elderly 'had no dignity' inquest hears

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CARE home residents were left in their own waste, had no dignity and went without food for days at a time, an inquest heard.

A care inspector told how her jaw dropped when she entered Roselawns Nursing home for the first time, while another described it as "the worst care environment I have seen in 30 years".

Josie Little, 84, Robert Haines, 83, and Edith Glover, 89, all former residents of Roselawns died within weeks of eachother in early 2003.

Mr Haines died at the home, while Mrs Little died in hospital after her condition had deteriorated at Roselawns. Mrs Glover died at her daughter-in-law's house just a few days after they removed her from the home.

Inspectors from the National Care Standards Commission told Berkshire Coroner Peter Bedford that on a visit to Roselawns, they had seen Mr Haines sitting in a chair covered in faeces, with his colostomy bag on his bed.

Marie Carvell said: "As we walked through the front door, the stench was overwhelming. Our impression was that staff had just shut the door on him and left him."

Mrs Little had been left unattended to use a commode in full view of other residents, and when care inspector Julie Willis raised this with a member of staff she was told her and her colleague Mrs Carvell were "making a fuss over nothing".

Mrs Willis told an inquest in Newbury that on occasion, lotion for sores that had belonged to dead residents was used on others. She said the home was "lacking respect for residents and not treating them with the dignity they were entitled to."

Mrs Willis said that she had made 34 visits to Roselawns in 10 months in 2002 and 2003, sometimes twice in the same day, such was the level of her concern over care practice at the home. She also asked for a second inspector (Mrs Carvell) to be allocated to the home.

A report she filed to Berkshire Health Authority showed that the home "was failing in every way"

In 28 out of 38 areas in the inspection report, Roselawns scored one out of four, the lowest score possible.

In seven areas they scored two, and in three areas they scored a zero because the relevant records weren't available to award a mark.

She said: "The record keeping was incredibly poor. We couldn't ascertain whether anyone was qualified the records were so poor. There were no pin numbers for the nurses or statements of entry for the nursing register. People were coming in to work at the home with no record. When we asked staff to bring in their passports a lot of them left. There were two young Polish workers on a working holiday and some of the staff had a very small grasp of English, which when you are giving people medicine is a big thing."

After a number of meetings with the manager and proprietors as well as other agencies such as the police and Reading PCT, the home was closed in March 2003.

The families of Mrs Little, Mr Haines and Mrs Glover were also present at the inquest.

Mrs Little's daughter Maureen Allen told the coroner she would never forget seeing the inside of her mother's mouth covered in sores at the home in February 2003.

She also recalled the time her mother was left in a soiled nightdress because no-one had come to take her to the toilet, and that when staff eventually dealt with her she wasn't washed.

She said: "Roselawns was grim, it had not been decorated and was not very nice. While she was there my mother's personal hygiene deteriorated."

The coroner also heard evidence from Mrs Glover's daughter-in-law Gillian, who said she had complained to the home's directors of a lack of cleanliness, smell of urine, and stains on the carpets.

Pathologist Dr Nicholas Hunt told the inquest Mrs Little died of multiple organ failure, which was caused by septicaemia through infected leg ulcers. Diabetes and heart disease were listed as contributory factors. He said Mrs Glover died of bronchial pneumonia, infected leg ulcers and a hardening of the arteries. Mr Haines died of a combination of bronchial pneumonia, an abysses in his neck, and a urinary tract infection.

The coroner apologised to the families for the time lag between the deaths and the inquest.

Evidence was expected to be heard from the manager and proprietors of the care home today (Wednesday). The case continues.