One of Britain’s biggest care home companies employed an 80-year-old senior nurse in a short-staffed care home who was older than some residents and not strong enough to help lift them.
HC-One employed the octogenarian at Tower Bridge Care Centre, which was found by inspectors to be “inadequate” and “not safe”, in a case that highlights a chronic shortage of care workers across the UK.
The 80-year old’s role emerged when she failed to call 999 as required after an 83-year old resident with dementia, Josephine Coggins, suffered an unexplained head injury, which later resulted in admission to hospital where she later died with pneumonia.
An investigation by HC-One found that the elderly nurse was not strong enough to help hoist residents, a common part of the job. Facing disciplinary action over her delay to notify emergency services about the head injury she “resigned to retire with immediate effect”.
Rachel Jarmyn, Coggins’ daughter, said she was “flabbergasted” at the age of the senior nurse. “When we first discovered that I thought someone had made a mistake,” she said. “It’s absolutely beyond belief.”
There is no upper age limit for nurses, but less than 0.1% of those registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council are aged over 75. Nurses must renew their registration every three years including a declaration of health and character. Age discrimination by employers is illegal under the Equality Act.
The elderly care worker was in charge of a night shift in June 2022 when she saw that Coggins had a head injury. She claimed she thought it was “an old bump” so did not call 999. Photos show bruising spread across her forehead, eye socket and scalp. A later investigation said the injury likely occurred when two other care workers were hoisting her from her chair into bed.
The investigation found the senior nurse was unable to help lift Coggins “because she wasn’t strong enough to do any hoisting”.
A spokesperson for the care provider expressed “condolences” to family and friends and said: “The behaviour and attitude of a number of our former colleagues was simply unacceptable, and not in line with our values of transparency and kindness. We have a new local and regional management team in place since this incident occurred in June 2022, and have had extensive senior support in the home for some time now to ensure that lessons are learned.”
