"Care home didn't tell me my mother was missing until after she was found dead"

8:55am Thursday 18th March 2010

By Joanna Codd

A GRIEVING daughter claims a care agency took two hours to tell her that her confused elderly mother was missing from her Bournemouth flat.

By the time Tender-Care Services rang Sandra Pamment, one of her mother’s neighbours had already broken the news that 89-year-old-Patricia Price had been found dead in a nearby snowy garden.

The incident prompted an investigation into the Moordown-based agency’s actions by Bournemouth council’s social services department.

Mrs Pamment, of Broadstone, Poole, said: “The way they treated me was just inexcusable. I should have been the first to know. The moment the carer went in and found my mother was missing at 7.50am, they should have contacted me.”

An inquest at Bournemouth heard that great-grandmother Mrs Price was receiving three visits a day from care assistants. A couple living in the same block of flats used to make sure she took her medication. Mrs Pamment visited at least three times a week and spoke to her mother every day on the telephone.

Care assistant Samantha James told the hearing she let herself into the flat in Clifton Road, Southbourne, at about 7.50am on January 6, but was unable to find Mrs Price.

She checked all the rooms and looked outside the building before ringing the agency’s office at 8.10am. She was asked to check with Mrs Price’s neighbour and ring back. Ms James knocked on the door of the next door flat, not realising it was unoccupied.

Camilla Russell, who was working in the office at Tender-Care, said: “I was only aware that it was serious at about 8.40am. I was ringing the hospitals, but there was no answer for the first half hour.”

Mrs Pamment told the inquest she was told of her mother’s disappearance by the neighbour, who had gone round to give Mrs Price her tablets. “I phoned Tender-Care Services and asked why I hadn’t been contacted. That was 10 to 10.”

She claims the agency rang back 25 minutes later to tell her that her mother was not in the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, but by then she had been told of her mother’s death.

District coroner Sheriff Payne said Mrs Price had fallen at the rear of the property opposite, fracturing her skull. He recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Angela Fraser, managing director of Tender-Care, said: “We have always rung hospitals and the carers that were in there last before we ring next of kin, rather than worrying them unnecessarily.

“That morning was just chaotic. There was bad snow and we were dealing with other telephone calls. We have now changed our policy and will definitely phone clients’ family first before we ring round.”

Judith Geddes, Bournemouth council’s executive director for adult and community services, said: “We were extremely saddened to hear the news of this tragic accident and our thoughts are with Patricia Price’s family.

“We immediately carried out an adult protection investigation into the response procedures that were followed by Tender-Care Services on the day of the incident.

“Recommendations have been made and we are continuing to work very closely with Tender-Care Services to implement improvements to their policy.”