Hi Sheila, my 94 year old mother has had two falls since going into a care home. Each time, she has needed a district nurse to manage and dress her injuries.
On both occasions, I have not been informed. I’m not happy about being kept in the loop considering she is a fee paying client. What are the policies for informing next of kin when they fall?

Answered by Sheila Scott

Dear G,

Thank you for your question.

I would expect that it would be the policy of the home to inform the next of kin when an accident occurs.

I believe that you should speak to the Registered Manager directly and make it quite clear that you expect to be informed if your Mother has an accident in the future.

If this then happens again and you are not informed you should have been given a copy of the home’s complaints policy when she was admitted to the home and you should initiate the policy formally.

I believe that there is no excuse for not keeping you informed of incidents that affect your Mother’s wellbeing.

I hope this is helpful.

Best wishes.

Sheila