Care workers jailed after patient dies in home

Lily Campbell Photo: MEN

Two care workers have been jailed after lying to police about the death of a pensioner with dementia. 89 year old Lily Campbell was left dying at the Laburnum Court care home in Salford after she developed severe intestinal problems last October.
Manchester Crown Court has heard that Abdul Khan, who is 22 and of Roland Road, Bolton, and 53 year old Pratima Munjal from Montana Square, Openshaw, failed to check on Mrs Campbell through the night. When they eventually discovered that she had died they altered records to show that they had visited her and they also changed the bedding and washed her before calling the emergency services to report her death.
Paramedics became suspicious when they discovered evidence of rigor mortis suggesting that Mrs Campbell had been dead for hours, despite Munjal's claims that she had been breathing when she checked her less than an hour before. Munjal continued to lie when interviewed by police, and a post mortem examination showed that the pensioner had been dead for hours.
Munjal has now been jailed for 10 months for her part in the deception, and Khan imprisoned for six months.

Pratima Munjal (inset Laburnum Court care home) Credit: MEN

Mrs Campbell's son and daughter, Clinton and Linda Credit: MEN

The last year has been horrific. It has devastated the entire family and only now can we have any closure. My mum was an inspirational, strong woman. For her to have died in agony in her care home bed with no one checking on her is terrible. We are angry, she didn’t deserve that. But we are happy to see both Khan and Munjal behind bars, and for the judge to say that he wanted to make an example of them. Hopefully now we can find some peace.

– Linda Campbell, Lily Campbell's daughter

Our thoughts and sympathies go out to Mrs. Campbell’s family for their loss. We deeply regret the distress that was caused to Mrs. Campbell in her final hours and to the family. Following Mrs Campbell’s death the home manager and our regional management team cooperated with the police and Salford Council’s Adult Safeguarding Team in an investigation into her care records and a call that was made to the emergency services. These investigations led to a nurse and care assistant being charged in relation to attempting to pervert the course of justice. The overwhelming majority of nursing and care staff do a difficult job extraordinarily well, day after day to make life better for the people living in care homes. It is deeply disappointing and upsetting whenever we come across the exceptions who let down their colleagues and the people in their care. What these people did was not just against all their professional training and the company policies and procedures to support the well-being of residents, it was a criminal act.

– Spokesperson for Four Seasons the company which runs Laburnum Court care home in Salford

Last updated Tue 22 Dec 2015