Health & Safety

Updated: 25/10/2024

I’m sure we were all shocked to hear of the three deaths at a care home in Dorset and our thoughts are with the families, staff and everyone else connected to the home.

However, it does bring into sharp focus the complexity, uncertainty and responsibility of our jobs in social care.

Dorset Police has reported the deaths were being treated as “unexplained” but potential carbon monoxide poisoning was still being investigated as a possibility. We might ask ourselves how has this happened and was it avoidable?

As a person with over 30 years’ experience in social care, regulation and management there are always tragedies that stimulate increased vigilance and changes in practice. For example, the use of mouth swabs, wheelchair lap belts and food thickeners have all been stopped or heavily revised due to injury to people.

This may be another case that could result in increased monitoring, safety checks and even building design considerations.

But what should you do today?

• Check your gas safety certificate is up to date, and that an annual renewal is scheduled
• Ensure any identified actions from the last inspection have been fully addressed
• Review, and risk assess, the use of mobile heating devices, or other equipment in bedrooms that have the potential to emit carbon monoxide
• Include the possibility of carbon monoxide leakage in any environmental risk assessment that you undertake, and include areas of the home used by staff that sleep on site
• Consider the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in the home
• Review the duties of night staff to include robust monitoring of the whole building
• Ensure staff are aware of the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/carbon-monoxide-poisoning/ and that they know what to do if they suspect that a person may be being poisoned

When investigations are complete there may well be more guidance for care homes about carbon monoxide, increased scrutiny by CQC, and additional requirements for the installation of carbon monoxide sensors.

But if you follow the bullet points above, the chances of experiencing a devastating event will be greatly reduced.