Staff question over dead care man

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A care home resident who showed signs of rigor mortis when he was discovered dead should not have been looked after by agency staff, a court has heard.

Only permanent staff were supposed to monitor 52-year-old dementia sufferer Alan Sayers one-to-one at the care home in Newbridge, south Wales.

Four carers, two managers and a nurse on duty on the night of his death deny the wilful neglect of a patient.

Local GP Dr Sushma Ohja denies two other charges relating to Mr Sayers.

Mr Sayers, 52, was at the Mountleigh Care Home in Caerphilly county because he suffered with front lobe dementia, which caused a changed personality and a consequent failure to care for himself.

The court heard the condition deteriorated to such an extent that the care home successfully applied for funding for his 24-hour care because of the risks he posed to himself and others.

By the time Mr Sayers died on 27 September 2004, the care home, which is now under new ownership, had received more than £100,000 of funding to look after him.

Paramedics who were called to the home just before 0430 BST that day claimed Mr Sayers' limbs were stiffening indicating he had been dead for several hours. They wouldn't have that depth of knowledge and understanding and they wouldn't have that depth of relationship with Alan Sayers Sue O'Driscoll, Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust on agency staff

At Newport Crown Court, prosecutors claim this indicated that Mr Casey was left alone for several hours before he was discovered dead, which contravened his care regime and needs.

Four carers Rosslyn Jenkins, Chengeta Kaziboni, Michael Lurvey and Margaret Lewis, along with qualified nurse Musediq Salisu, who were on duty at the home on the night in question, are on trial charged with the wilful neglect of a patient.

Margaret Lewis and Chengeta Kaziboni were not permanent staff but were from the Castle Employment Agency.

Sue O'Driscoll, who was the specialist placement manager for Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust at the time, told the jury one of her stipulations was that only permanent staff were to monitor Mr Sayer one-on-one.

She said: "Within the care home there is the use of agency staff and, even though they may be used regularly once or twice a week, this is not frequent in terms of being kept up to date with the needs of the individual because there would be gaps in their presence at the nursing home so they wouldn't have up-to-date knowledge that a regular care worker employed at the home would have.

"They wouldn't have that depth of knowledge and understanding and they wouldn't have that depth of relationship with Alan Sayers."

Ms O'Driscoll said she consequently struck a verbal agreement with Enda Evans, the care home's care manager, or Dawn Harris, its general manager, that while agency staff could be employed to "backfill", only permanent staff were to look after Mr Sayers.

Both Enda Evans and Dawn Harris have been charged with the wilful neglect of a patient.

'Oversight'

Under cross-examination by Peter Murphy QC for Dawn Harris, Ms O'Driscoll admitted she did not have a written record of such an agreement.

"I didn't feel it was necessary to record every conversation verbatim with a lot of people I spoke with around cases but to make a note of the general overview," she said.

"I can only say it was an oversight on my part."

Mr Murphy said: "I'm going to suggest you never had that conversation with Dawn Harris at all?"

Ms O'Driscoll replied: "I'm pretty sure that the conversation I had about support within the home and agency staff was with Dawn."

Also on trial is Mr Sayers' local GP, Dr Sushma Ohja, who is charged with obtaining property by deception and wilfully making a false representation with a view to procuring the burning of any human remains.

The case continues.