Investigation and inquest
On 05 September 2024 I commenced an investigation and opened an inquest into the death of Francis Phillip LEECH aged 80. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 02 June 2026. The conclusion of the inquest was that Mr. Leech "died from natural causes, to which traumatic facial injuries inflicted by a fellow care home resident and a resulting lengthy hospital admission contributed."
Circumstances of the death
In February 2024 Francis Leech, who lived with advanced dementia and a number of other significant medical conditions, was admitted to Moundsley Hall Nursing Home, King's Norton having spent the previous four months in hospital recovering from severe traumatic facial injuries sustained when he was struck repeatedly by a fellow resident at Bowood Court Care Home, Redditch. Over the next few months, he continued steadily to decline and died there on 26.8.24. His final decline was contributed to by the injuries which he had sustained and by the functional decline associated with the resulting lengthy hospital admission.
Coroner’s concerns
The care home resident who inflicted the facial injuries on Mr. Leech lived with advanced dementia, and over the six weeks leading up to that incident had been showing signs of unpredictably aggressive and violent behaviour. Although many of these episodes had been the subject of incident reports, neither his care plan nor his behavioural support plan had been properly updated to reflect these episodes, the risk which he presented, and measures to be taken to reduce that risk. The evidence at inquest showed that: (a) staff at the care home did not understand the importance of updating the care plan and behavioural support plan; (b) management at the care home had not instituted a system of checking and ensuring those plans were updated; and (c) the internal investigation carried out by the care home after the assault on Mr. Leech failed to recognize the deficiencies in those plans, or to put in place measures to ensure that those deficiencies were not repeated.