Prevention of Future Deaths reports · 2014

Derrick Plater

Regulation 28 report to prevent future deaths, reference 2014-0130, written 21 Mar 2014. A coroner writes one of these when an inquest reveals a risk that could cause further deaths unless something changes.

Date of report21 Mar 2014
Reference2014-0130
DeceasedDerrick Plater
CoronerDavid Osborne
Coroner areaNorfolk
CategoryCommunity health care and emergency services related deaths
Sourcejudiciary.uk record · original PDF
Responses published1

The report

Text recovered by OCR from a scanned PDF. OCR is imperfect: check anything you rely on against the source PDF. Reproduced verbatim, including the scan's own layout.

REGULATION 28: REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS (1)

NOTE: This form is to be used after an inquest.

REGULATION 28 REPORT TO PREVENT FUTURE DEATHS

THIS REPORT IS BEING SENT TO:

1. BEE = xecutive Director, Children, Families and Adults

Services, Cambridgeshire County Council, Older People's Services,
Hereward Hall, County Road, March, Cambs PE15 8NE

CORONER

tam DAVID OSBORNE, assistant coroner, for the coroner area of NORFOLK

CORONER’S LEGAL POWERS

| make this report under paragraph 7, Schedule 5, of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009
and regulations 28.and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013.

y

|

INVESTIGATION and INQUEST

On 10 June 201 1an investigation was commenced into the death of DERRICK ARTHUR
PLATER, AGED 85. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 10 March
2014. The conclusion of the inquest was as per the attached narrative conclusion. The
medical cause of death was, inter alia:

1a Septicaemia and 1b Unstageable sacral pressure sores.

CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH

The circumstances of Mr Plater’s death were that he was a resident at Goodwins Hall in
King's Lynn, Norfolk, a Hallmark Care Homes nursing home. On 1 May 2011 he was
admitted to hospital and returned the same day with a pressure sore. The pressure sore
did not respond to:treatment and he was readmitted by his GP to hospital on 25 May
2011. His condition continued to deteriorate and he died on 7 June 2011. Mr Plater had
been placed at Goodwins Hall following an assessment by the local authority.

CORONER" S CONCERNS

During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern. In ,

.| my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken: In the

circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you.
The MATTERS OF CONCERN are as follows. —

| was told that it was not at the time normal practice to undertake a visit of the care home
being considered for placement, notwithstanding that Mr Plater had complex needs -
having undergone a laryngectomy and had a stoma. Accordingly there was a total
teliance upon assurances given by the care home in‘considering whether it could in fact
meet the assessed needs. It was indicated that if similar circumstances arose today it is
likely that a visit would be undertaken. However the witness was unable to confirm
whether there were guidelines or protocols for when a visit should be undertaken as part
of the assessment and placing process. .

| am therefore concerned that:

1. if there are guidelines and/or protocols for when a visit of care home should be
considered and/or undertaken as part of the assessment and placement
process there may need to be a review of the dissemination and awareness of
any such guidelines and/or protocols

2. If there are no such guidelines and/or protocols there may need to be a review
as to whether such should be drawn up

ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN

\
In my opinion action should be taken to prevent future deaths and | believe you and your
organisation have the power to take such action.

YOUR RESPONSE

You are under a duty to respond to this report within 56 days of the date of this report,
namely by Friday 16 May 2014 |, the coroner, may extend the period.

Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out -
the timetable for action. Otherwise you must explain why no action is proposed.

COPIES and PUBLICATION

| have sent a copy of my report to the Chief Coroner and to the following Interested
Persons :

Derek Winter (Archivist)

HM Coroner for the City of Sunderland
Civic Centre

Burdon Road

Sunderland

SR2 7DN

| am also under a duty to send the Chief Coroner a copy of your response.

The Chief Coroner may publish either or both in a complete or redacted or summary
form. He may send a copy of this report to any person who he believes may find it useful
or of interest. You may make representations to me, the coroner, at the time of your
tesponse, about the release or the publication of your response by the Chief Coroner.

21/03/2014
VP Moe —
5 ay .

David Osborne - Assistant Coroner

Responses

1 response published against this report on judiciary.uk. A response is a body's written reply to the coroner's concerns; publication is at the discretion of the Chief Coroner's office, so an absent response does not mean nobody replied.

Response from Respondent Not Named (PDF)
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ALG Abrdr | Cambridgeshire
taMay 2014 VEOH PARA County Council
Vai MAY 2014
- ‘TT ne / Children, Families and Adults Services
Mr D Osbourne -~. Executive Director: Adrian Loades
Assistant Coroner
Box No: CC1001
Norfolk Coroner's Service ox “Shire Hall
69 — 75 Thorpe Road Castle Hill
Norwich Cambridge
Norfolk CB3 O0AP
NR1 1UA Fax: 01223 475937

Dear Mr Osbourne

Re: Derrick Arthur PLATER (deceased)
Response to Regulation 28 report concerning the death of Mr D A Plater

Thank you for your ietter dated 24 March 2014 requesting a response to a
Regulation 28 Report. Please accept this letter as that response pursuant to
Regulation 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013.

In your report you were concerned that there was a total reliance upon assurances
given by the care home, Goodwins Hall, that it could meet Mr Plater’s needs.

At the Inquest into Mr Plater’s death, HS Cambridgeshire County
Council's witness, tried to explain that under the terms of the care home’s

registration with the Care Quality Commission the Registered Manager, in each
home, is responsible for determining whether the assessed needs can be met in
their care home.

The decision to accept the placement by the care home is based on the health and
social care assessments provided to the home. That decision is usually supported
by staff from the home visiting the person in hospital to complete their own
assessment before making a decision to accept the placement.

ME ¢xplained that the social worker completed a comprehensive
assessment of Mr Plater’s social care needs to enable the home to reach their
decision.

Hospital staff were responsible for completing the assessment of Mr Plater’s on-
going health needs. The social worker sought reassurance from the multi-
disciplinary team in the hospital that they were confident that the home could meet
these needs. Discussions took place between ward staff and staff from the home
and the senior nurse from the hospital team confirmed to the social worker that she

Osa
YS Printed on recyete paper

utive: Mark Lloyd www.cambridgeshire. gov. uk

felt that the needs arising from Mr Plater’s laryngectomy and stoma could be met at
Goodwins Hall. a cid that the social worker was aware that staff from
the home had carried out their own assessment of Mr Plater’s needs by visiting him
in hospital prior to accepting his placement.

As a consequence of repeated questioning on the discharge planning and
placement process and the stress of attending the Inquest, EEEIndicated
that if similar circumstances arose today it is likely that a visit by a social worker
would be undertaken before the placement was made.

On reftection JIIEEEEEEEErecognises that this response was not correct. [i
WEEE sincerely regrets that she was unable to clearly explain to you the
Registered Manager's responsibilities at the care home and assure you that the
social worker had fully carried out their duties to enable the home to make an
informed decision. a also apologises for indicating that a visit would be
undertaken in future.

In Mr Platter’s case, where there were complex health and social care needs, a visit
to the home by a social worker would not, in my opinion, have provided any added
assurance because social workers are not professionally competent to make
judgements on whether Mr Plater’s health needs were likely to be met at Goodwins
Hall. Therefore, | believe that it is unlikely that a pre-placement visit in these
circumstances would help to prevent future deaths in similar circumstances.

For the reasons presented above a pre-placement visit by a social worker is not and
will not be part of the assessment and placement process and there are no plans to
introduce this step. | am not aware of any Local Authority that routinely undertakes a
pre- placement visit in these circumstances. However, please be assured that if we
had received information, from any source, that Mr Plater’s needs were not being
met this would have been investigated immediately and steps taken to ensure that
his needs were met at Goodwins Hall or arrangements made to transfer him to
another home.

Yours sincerely

Nae Coe

Adrian Loades
Executive Director: Children, Families and Adults Services

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Chief Executive: Mark Lloyd www.cambridgeshire. gov. uk

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