Wandsworth (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Sherwood Grange care home in Wandsworth failed to properly manage a resident’s pressure sores before his death, a watchdog has found in a recent ruling.
In order to compensate his sister for the grief caused by the shortcomings in his care, Wandsworth Council, which placed the man at Kingston Vale’s Sherwood Grange, which is managed by Care UK, has been forced to pay £400.
According to a report by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Sherwood Grange’s treatment of the man, Mr. Y, and its interactions with his sister, Mrs. X, were flawed.
In August 2023, the council assigned Mr. Y to Sherwood Grange. He returned to the care facility in October after being taken to the hospital in September due to a serious urinary tract infection (UTI).
When Mr. Y returned from the hospital, Mrs. X requested that the care facility order him an air mattress to help him avoid bed sores.
Since he was ambulatory and had no wounds, a nurse who was not affiliated with the care facility ordered a static mattress on its behalf, which came in early November.
According to the investigation, the care facility was at fault for not informing Mrs. X of the reason for the air mattress she had asked for.
At the end of November, a nurse placed an order for an air mattress on behalf of the care facility because he had blisters.
A nurse expressed worry about significant skin injury when Mr. Y was readmitted to the hospital in early December.
The report said:
“Mrs X asked for an air mattress because she wanted to prevent Mr Y’s bed sores.
The conclusion from Council X’s safeguarding investigation was the care home failed to consistently manage Mr Y’s pressure sores, it did not have a robust plan on pressure sore management and the records were inconsistent on whether care home staff applied barrier cream to the pressure area.
I have reviewed the care home’s records, and I agree with Council X’s comments. There was also a failure to consider whether to get an air mattress much sooner.
These faults have caused Mrs X significant upset and distress. She also has uncertainty as to whether the deterioration in Mr Y’s health may have been prevented.”
Since the council made arrangements for Mr. Y to reside there, the Ombudsman believed that the care facility’s activities were taken on its behalf.
The watchdog ordered the authority to apologize to Mrs. X and pay her £400 for the grief and uncertainty she experienced after the investigation criticized the council’s and the care home’s behavior. It said that since then, the care facility has improved its offerings.
A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said:
“We take the safety and wellbeing of our residents incredibly seriously.
We accept the Ombudsman’s findings and have apologised to this individual, fully paying the compensation ordered. We regret the distress this has caused, and we are working with our partners to ensure that the learning from this experience is applied to improve outcomes for our residents.”
A Care UK spokesperson said:
“We pride ourselves on offering kind and safe care to all residents in our homes and would once again like to apologise to the family for any shortcomings in our communication with them. On the rare occasions where we do not meet our own high standards, we will always investigate any concerns as per the complaints policy which is published on our website. While we were not part of the Ombudsman’s enquiry, we will take any learnings from the report to help us improve the service we provide to both residents and their families.”
How did the watchdog’s findings impact the care home’s reputation and operations?
The watchdog’s findings that Sherwood Grange care home in Wandsworth failed to consistently manage a resident’s pressure sores before his death likely had a negative impact on the care home’s reputation by highlighting shortcomings in medical care and oversight.
Such findings typically lead to increased public scrutiny and concern among residents, families, and local authorities about the quality of care and safety standards at the facility. Regulatory bodies often require the care home to improve its care practices, increase staff training, and strengthen management oversight to address identified issues.
Operationally, care homes experiencing these watchdog rulings usually face closer monitoring and must implement corrective action plans to improve care standards and prevent recurrence.