Copy and pasting a fatal mistake? | Blackpool hotel operator pleads not guilty to multiple offences | Budget reaction
Copy and pasting a fatal mistake? | Blackpool hotel operator pleads not guilty to multiple offences | Budget reaction
A coroner has warned of more deaths after errors at a care home and a hotel operator was up in court.
Carers at a Norbreck rest home wrongly said in a resident’s notes that he was being fed a pureed or soft texture diet - before he died after choking on solid food.
Terry Manning, 67, a former council passenger assistant who was known to eat quickly, died at Blackpool Victoria Hospital two days after collapsing at Haddon Court Rest Home while eating a meal, causing him to go into cardiac arrest and suffer brain damage due to a lack of oxygen, an inquest has been told.
Andrew Cousins, assistant coroner for Blackpool and Fylde, has now warned of more tragedies unless workers at the home, which can accommodate up to 33 older people, who may have dementia, stop copy and pasting residents’ records.
He said: “Mr Manning was not being fed a pureed or soft texture diet, and entries to this effect in the care records are errors in the record keeping. These errors have been caused by carers carrying forward the details of records relating to other residents from entries made on the records of those other residents.
“It was noted in the evidence that erroneous record keeping had taken place over a period of time and involved multiple carers.
“It was caused by carers transposing the records of one resident into the care records of another, leading to inaccuracies.
“I found that these matters gave rise to a risk of further death as the record keeping was inaccurate and did not reflect the foods being given to Mr Manning…”
Manning, who was originally from Devizes in Wiltshire and had dementia, moved to the home on June 29 last year, the inquest was told, and choked on October 22. He died on October 24.
His death was accidental, Cousins concluded, and caused by a hypoxic brain injury, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and choking on a ball of chewed-up food.
Frontotemporal dementia, a rare type of the disease, was listed as a contributing factor.
Bosses at Haddon Court said “all staff have been reminded about the importance of accuracy in record keeping”.
In a letter to Cousins, a director, whose name has been redacted from records, added: “We have particularly reminded the staff about the risks of using what is termed the ‘repeat functionality’ of the software in question, and to ensure that records are checked for accuracy after use of this feature.”
The director said the home had contacted the software’s maker, Person Centred Software, and was told: “The ‘repeat functionality’ is designed to make repetitive tasks and care actions quicker and easier to record. That’s very beneficial if multiple residents are taking part in one activity - eg physical exercise.
“A carer may have supported multiple residents with the same care, and thus (would) benefit from being able to repeat the same action for one resident to another; there remains however the responsibility of the user to ensure that the care record reflects the care provided.
“It should also be noted that the care is record(ed) ‘post the care interaction’ and would not therefore have been used to determine how a resident will have their food prepared.
“It is important the carers are encouraged to record the most accurate and person-centred records as possible. Based on your input, we will review the repeat functionality in detail and consider certain categories of care to be removed from the repeat functionality. That would force users to individually report the details for each resident in those selected categories.”
The unnamed director said they believe “robust measures” have been taken to “ensure records at the home meet the standards rightly expected from legal, professional and regulatory perspectives”.
They added: “We have also responded as fully as we are able to in relation to bringing this matter to the attention of and influencing the software provider. I understand that they are currently working on the functionality that will help to reduce the risk of erroneous reporting.”
The home, run by Haddon Court Limited, was last inspected by the Care Quality Commission in October.
The health industry watchdog gave it an overall rating of “good”, the same ranking as four out of five key areas: safety, effectiveness, levels of caring and responsiveness.
For the fifth, linked to leadership, it said the accommodation “requires improvement”, adding: “Leaders and the culture they created did not always support the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.”
The Blackpool Lead asked the home a number of questions, including how the staff involved in the copy and pasting of records to make them erroneous have been disciplined and how it can guarantee no more mistakes of the kind will be made.
The firm, run by John and Claire McGailey, according to Companies House, did not respond.
John McGailey told The Gazette that Manning was not “subject to a diet of an altered texture” and Cousins “found no neglect by the care home”, with “no aspect of care provided” contributing to his choking.
He admitted to “recording ‘errors’” but said they “did not contribute to the choking incident in any way”.
He said: “Haddon Court has always utilised a separate process for preparation and (the) serving of diets that require altered texture which removes the risk of anyone being given food of an unsuitable texture…”
McGailey added: “We have previously expressed our condolences to the family of the gentleman concerned.”
The specific software in question was not named in coroner documentation but Person Centred Software has described mCare on its website as the “care sector’s most widely used digital care planning system”.
It claims to save “each carer, nurse and home manager over three days per month compared to paper-based records and other digital systems” and boasts “icon-driven care notes with over five million care interactions recorded daily - or an average of 58 notes per resident, per day”.
Person Centred Software did not respond to a request for comment.
Hotel group hauled into court over alleged hygiene and health failings
A Blackpool hotel group is set to stand trial accused of various hygiene and health and safety failings.
PG Group of Hotels is facing prosecution by Blackpool Council in relation to alleged breaches at its Henson Hotel on Clifton Drive.
The charges relate to a visit on September 5, 2023 and cover nine alleged offences. Six of these relate to food safety and hygiene regulations and three cover health and safety regulations.
No individual person is charged with any offence, only the business itself. The matter went before Lancaster Courthouse on Tuesday, with company director Prasad Purandare appearing on behalf of the business.
He entered not guilty pleas to all counts and a provisional trial date was set for April 2025.
No return to years of Conservative austerity, vows Chris Webb
Words by Chris Webb, MP for Blackpool South
Labour is the party for working people and the Chancellor’s budget today confirmed that.
Thousands of people in Blackpool South are set to receive a 6.7% pay rise while apprentices and young people could see their wages increase by 16.3%. This rise in the national living wage is a huge boost for young people in Blackpool who too often face barriers to opportunity and well paid work.
Rachel Reeves made clear our commitment to rebuilding public services while honouring our manifesto pledge not to increase taxes on working people. And she emphasised there would be no return to the long years of Conservative austerity.
The £25.6 billion the Chancellor committed to rebuild our NHS is welcome in Blackpool where we have some of the worst physical and mental health outcomes in the country. Alongside funding for extra appointments and surgical hubs, additional clinicians are being sent to Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, allowing more patients to be treated efficiently while ensuring our NHS is fit for a bright future.
The crackdown on shoplifting announced in the budget is great news for businesses. Local shop owners here have told me how petty theft is at an all time high and greatly harms their business. The support for frontline policing levels meanwhile will allow everyone in our communities to be safer.
As chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tourism and Hospitality, and as MP for a town built on tourism, I welcome the lower level of business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure. This move opens up more opportunity for jobs and investment in Blackpool and is great news for locals and visitors alike.
I’m thrilled that the budget has also confirmed a £15.4 million investment in Blackpool town centre to improve traffic flow, access to public transport, and infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.
And I for one will be toasting the Chancellor’s recognition of one of our greatest institutions and network of community hubs – the British pub, where Labour has knocked a penny off a pint.
Staff cuts and price increases could follow in wake of Budget
A mixed response to the Budget from groups in Lancashire, reports Paul Faulkner
Businesses may have to make staff cuts and put up prices as a result of some of the measures announced in the budget, a group representing many of them has warned.
The North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce was responding to the increase in employer national insurance contributions and the forthcoming rise in the national minimum wage, which will go up by 6.7 percent to £12.21 an hour.
However, the Blackpool-based Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) praised Chancellor Rachel Reeves for what it said was the way she had protected many of the smallest firms from some of the “tough” policies she announced – and for prioritising their needs over those of “big corporates”.
Babs Murphy, the Chamber’s chief executive said firms across the county were now facing “significant challenges in managing their day-to-day operations”.
“These added employment obligations will likely force companies to align with financial performance or raise the prices of their products and services, ultimately impacting their growth objectives.
“Larger businesses may have to make significant adjustments regarding pricing, staffing, and operational strategies, leading to an uncertain transition period as the market adapts to these changes.
“Businesses were braced for a doom-and-gloom budget and while many will see their outgoings increase – with little wriggle room for investment – there have been chinks of light for the smaller businesses.
“We welcome the changes in business rates which will affect a number of businesses across the county, but many will need more clarity on how these changes will affect their other operational outgoings.
“A further freeze in fuel duty will also be welcomed, especially by the haulage sector which keeps businesses across the county moving. The hospitality and leisure industry will welcome lower tax rates.
“This budget, however, does very little to increase growth and investment for the thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises which are the backbone of the Lancashire business community,” Ms Murphy added.
However, the FSB – a national organisation which was established in Lancashire 50 years ago – struck a generally optimistic tone in its assessment of Rachel Reeves’ first budget.
Policy chair Tina McKenzie said: “Increasing the employment allowance for small businesses by a record amount is a very welcome move and we’re pleased the Chancellor has heard us loud and clear. More than doubling it, from £5,000 to £10,500, will shield the smallest employers from the jobs tax – and therefore is a pro-jobs prioritisation in a tough budget.
“The decision to protect small businesses from an inflationary hike in business rates – by freezing the small business multiplier – will help small firms with premises across all sectors. Meanwhile, extending business rates relief, albeit at a lower level, for small firms in retail, hospitality and leisure will mitigate a potential cliff-edge tax hike for those in some of the toughest sectors.
“The true test of today’s budget will be whether small businesses can grow and end the economic stagnation the UK has been stuck in.”
However, Ms. McKenzie acknowledged that some small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will “struggle with the rises in employer national insurance on top of the large costs from the government’s employment law plans”.
She added: “We’ve been very clear in our warning of the difficulty SMEs will be confronted with in meeting all of these changes at once – and the potential impact on jobs, wages and prices.
“The budget documents include plans for a small business strategy command paper, which is a welcome signal that ministers appreciate the central role that small businesses play in driving growth and we look forward to working with the government closely on that.
“Building a business involves a significant element of risk and personal, as well as financial, investment. But for the economy to grow, we need more people to be incentivised to take that leap and, in turn, create jobs, opportunities and prosperity in all communities across the country.
“The right decision has been taken to retain entrepreneurs’ relief up to £1m, which is something we have campaigned hard for. Although the level of relief will gradually reduce over time, resulting in more tax being paid in the future on business sales, we’re pleased to see a differential has been kept.
“Against a challenging backdrop, today’s budget shows a clear direction in business policy now for the whole of this Parliament to target support at small businesses, rather than big corporates – prioritising everyday entrepreneurs working in local communities in all parts of the country,” Ms. McKenzie said.
The increase in the national minimum wage – worth £1,400 a year to a full-time worker – came after the government asked the Low Pay Commission to take into account the cost of living when recommending the level at which the lowest pay rate should be set.
The number of people in Blackpool diagnosed with depression has doubled in the last 10 years with around one in five suffering from the blues, new figures show.
An annual review of the health of Blackpool residents also reveals smoking and drug-taking continue to take their toll on the population.
The Annual Health Report by director of public health Dr Arif Rajpura marks 10 years since public health was taken out of the NHS and became the responsibility of Blackpool Council.
Deprivation and poor housing is highlighted as the underlying cause for many of the issues which mean people living in the town start to suffer from chronic ill-health in their 50s.
Figures from the report show 21 per cent of people in Blackpool were diagnosed with depression in 2022/23 compared to just over 10 per cent in 2013/14.
The numbers have also doubled nationally – from 6.5 per cent to 13.2 per cent in England over the same time period.
Drug related deaths are around four times higher in Blackpool than the rest of the country – 19.5 per 100,000 of the population in 2020/22 (up from 13.7 in 2011/13) compared to 5.2 per 100,000 in England.
Deaths due to alcohol are also higher than the national level at 24 per 100,000 population in 2022 compared to 14.5 in England.
Pubs, restaurants and guest-houses in Blackpool are facing a ‘cliff edge’ if business rates relief runs out in April next year as currently expected.
Many operators could see their bills for business rates quadruple – and now calls are being made for the scheme to be extended by the government.
Blackpool South MP Chris Webb has written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves in his capacity as chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Hospitality and Tourism.
Blackpool has received a further £1.7m from the government’s Household Support Fund – with £300,000 being set aside to help vulnerable pensioners including those who have lost their winter fuel allowance.
The biggest chunk of the cash will continue to be directed at families, with £800,000 being used to extend free school meals into the school holidays.
The total award for Blackpool is £1.745m to cover the six months from October to the end of March next year.
Plans have got the go ahead to convert a former church hall into a new children’s nursery despite objections from some residents.
The scheme will see the empty building on Warbreck Drive, previously operated as a Sunday School by Bispham United Reformed Church, redeveloped as a kindergarten for up to 45 children aged up to five years old.
Blackpool Council planners approved the application by Day Care Centres using their delegated powers.
A Halloween monster invasion is underway in Blackpool - with ten giant inflatable creatures on rooftops across our town.
The challenge for families and kids is to hunt them down - with today being Halloween, it could well be worth checking out.
Luke Egan, Creative Director at Designs In Air, which created the monster inflatables, said:
“As a Lancashire lad, born and bred (now a West Country bumpkin) I'm thrilled to be returning with more monster mayhem to Blackpool this autumn! “Last year, our tentacles went wild in the sea breeze on top of the Blackpool Tower, and this Halloween you can expect even more wild-eyed, monstrous, arm-waving hysteria (and that's just from our team!). “We hope everyone gets a chance to see our colourful creatures, who will be invading rooftops all along the Golden Mile and nearby town centre to join in the Halloween events this year!”
They’re still here until Sunday (3 November).
Thank you for reading The Blackpool Lead this week and to those who have supported our work so far - including the move to Substack.
Having reporters in court and spending significant amounts of time pouring over medical documents isn’t easy - which is why journalists are doing it less and less - but it is important.
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Have a fantastic weekend and we’ll speak again soon.
Luke & Ed.