Care home firm fined after death

A care home operator has been fined after a patient with learning and behavioural issues died as a result of being subjected to “inappropriate and dangerous” restraint techniques.

Health and Care Services (UK) Limited, part of the Craegmoor group, was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay £40,823 in costs, after admitting it had failed to provide adequate training for staff to safely restrain residents at the Old Vicarage nursing home in Stallingborough, near Grimsby.

Anthony Pinder, 42, was physically restrained for around 90 minutes by staff at the care home on October 1, 2004. He was eventually released and crawled unaided to his room where he was found dead a short time later, Leeds Crown Court heard.

The members of staff involved in restraining Mr Pinder were not blamed because they had not received the appropriate training and were doing what they felt necessary under difficult circumstances, the court was told. The failure to train staff in safe restraint techniques rested with management.

The company failed to take steps to protect patients at the Old Vicarage – a breach of section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

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