Investigation and inquest
On 5th December 2018 I commenced an Investigation into the death of Richard Burgess, who was born on 5th February 1939 and who died at The Holy Cross Home Sunderland on 30th November 2018 aged 79 years. The Investigation concluded at the end of the 3-day Inquest on 12th May 2021. The conclusion of the Inquest was ’Richard Burgess was a risk to himself and from others and those risks were not sufficiently and proactively managed and exposed Richard Burgess to harm’, the medical cause of death being: -
1a Aspiration Pneumonia
1b Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy and Blunt Head Injury
Circumstances of the death
Richard Burgess died at Holy Cross Nursing and Residential Care Home, Sunderland on 30th November 2018 after being punched 3 times to the head on 31st August 2018 by another patient who was also detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 at Monkwearmouth Hospital, Sunderland.
Coroner’s concerns
I did not have a sufficient level of confidence about:
• the provision of a multidisciplinary team of professionals with suitable skills, qualifications and competencies commensurate with their role and the specialty of dementia care;
• a prevention model and approach for dementia care that proactively uses detailed assessment, intervention and evaluation of changing care, needs and risks of the individual in order to provide therapeutic interventions and reduce the need for medication;
• the evidence of assessments or the application of assessments of the impact of a person’s difficulties, including cognitive and neurological difficulties, polypharmacy, psychological and personality, mental and physical health, social, environmental and care practices, emotions, belief and thoughts of the person;
• a continuous engagement with the family in the “triangle of care”, including regular communication and updating life stories;
• a focus on the person, asserting absolute value of the person, in an individualised approach, while understanding the world from the person’s perspective and provision of a social environment that supports psychological and physical needs;
• converting policy into practice.
The Trust had done a lot of work since the death of Mr Burgess, and I should also be pleased to hear from the Secretary of State about wider learning for other Trusts.