The daughter of an elderly man who died after a fall at a Surbiton nursing home says staff should have called an ambulance for him.

John Jones, 93, was staying at Southborough Nursing Home in Langley Avenue when he suffered a fractured arm, three fractured ribs and a punctured lung.

Nursing staff found him on the floor next to his bed late on May 15 this year, but did not call for a doctor until 9am the next morning.

A GP arrived at 2.30pm, after which Mr Jones was taken to hospital, where he died of pneumonia on June 4.

Mr Jones’ granddaughter, Tracy Deall, said: “To this day nobody has contacted my nan to offer condolences. All she got was a £10 bill for a haircut.

“When I went to collect his stuff I found it in bin bags on the floor.

“There has been no letter of sympathy.”

Kingston Hospital raised a safeguarding alert on May 17, saying Mr Jones had suffered a fall. The alert said no one saw the fall, and the nursing home did not call an ambulance at the time.

Southborough manager Paula Gratton said: “Following the unfortunate death of Mr Jones LRH Homes followed a rigorous internal and external procedure.

“At LRH Homes we are committed to providing the highest level of care at all times with compassion, in an open and transparent way.”

The Care Quality Commission’s most recent inspection found the home was meeting all its safety criteria.

It said it had been made aware of Mr Jones’ death.

Mrs Deall said her grandfather was well-respected in the community.

Should medical help have been sought earlier?

A safeguarding meeting in July, chaired by safeguarding co-ordinator Andrew Hill and attended by Mr Jones’ wife Ivy, considered why there was a delay in calling London Ambulance or seeking urgent medical advice.

Mrs Jones said she had been told to call an ambulance immediately if her husband fell over at their home.

Southborough staff told the meeting Mr Jones did not mention he was in pain that night.

Mrs Deall, from Tolworth, said: “He was a man who didn’t
complain.

“It was only when a doctor came and saw he was having trouble breathing.”

The meeting could not substantiate whether staff should have acted earlier.

Minutes of the meeting also showed that police found no evidence of an assault or of criminal neglect, but that Southborough, owned by LRH Homes, was told to review its assessment and handover procedures.

 

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