A serious case review investigating events at Orchid View care home will be published later today.
Events at Orchid View involved 19 unexplained deaths. An inquest found that all 19 people who died received “suboptimal”care and five of the deaths were from natural causes “which had been attributed to by neglect”.
The families of relatives who died at the scandal-hit care home have called for a complete overhaul of the industry to prevent similar cases in the future.
The home was run by Southern Cross but has since reopened under a new name and new management.
After a five-week inquest into the deaths at Orchid View, coroner Penelope Schofield heavily criticised the quality of care provided by Southern Cross.The inquest heard residents in the home were left soiled and unattended because of staff shortages, and in one night shift staff made 28 drug errors.
Ms Schofield said there had been “institutionalised abuse” throughout the home, which had been completely mismanaged and understaffed. The coroner questioned whether a CQC inspection which had found the home to be of a “good” rating the year before it was closed was fit for purpose.
