A care provider has been ordered to pay £83,644 at Croydon Magistrates’ Court, after a 57-year-old man died after falling out of a window while in their care.
St John’s Nursing Home Limited in Hailing Park Road, South Croydon, Surrey, pleaded guilty to failing to provide safe care and treatment, resulting in avoidable harm to Mr Stephen Verrall while he was resident at the home.
St John’s Nursing Home Limited was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £3,474 prosecution costs, plus a £170 victim surcharge at at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 3 February in a prosecution brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
St John’s Nursing Home Limited is a registered nursing home for people who require nursing or personal care.
On 17 October 2017 Mr Verrall was found in the car park outside, having had an unwitnessed fall from his bedroom. Mr Verrall was attended to by paramedics, and taken by ambulance to St. George’s Hospital where he later passed away on 19 October 2017
The window from which he fell had been restricted by a single metal chain attached by screws to an aluminium frame. This had been in place for at least fifteen years. A health and safety consultant attended the home the day after the incident and advised a change to all the window restrictors with chains, because they were not strong enough. The windows were later replaced in February 2018 with built in window restrictors.
Neil Cox, CQC’s Head of Inspection for Adult Social Care, said:
“This is a distressing case and our sympathies are with the family of Mr Verrall and those affected closely by his death.
“Where we find any provider has put people using its services at risk of harm, we take action to hold them to account and protect people.
“We hope this prosecution reminds care providers that they must always ensure people’s safety and manage risks to their wellbeing.”
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