Staff at specialist care unit 'failed to give CPR'

Staff at a specialist care unit did not attempt to resuscitate a woman with epilepsy, learning difficulties and sleep apnoea when she was found unconscious, an inquest heard.

Joanna Bailey, 36, died at Cawston Park in Norfolk on 28 April 2018. Jurors heard she was found by a worker whose CPR training had expired, and the private hospital near Aylsham - which care for adults with complex needs - had been short-staffed that night.

Support worker Dan Turco told the coroner's court he went to check on Ms Bailey just after 03:00 BST and found she was not breathing and had blood around her mouth.

The inquest heard he went to get help from colleagues, including the nurse in charge, but no-one administered CPR until paramedics arrived. 

It was heard Mr Turco's CPR training had lapsed in the weeks before Ms Bailey died, unbeknown to him.

Mr Turco said he had since received training and has had his first aid qualifications updated.

Cawston Park, run by the Jeesal Group, a provider of complex care services within the UK, is currently rated as "requires improvement" by the Care Quality Commission.

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Source: BBC News, 23 November 2020