'Rules not followed' at home where 7 people died

Measures to protect residents from Covid at a care home where seven elderly people died were not “effectively or consistently” followed by staff, a coroner has ruled.

William Wilkinson, 102, Doris Lockett, 92, Roy Gilliam, 96, Jean Hartley, 81, Susan Skinner, 70, Ronald Bampfylde, 92, and Stanislawa Koch, 93, all died in March or April 2021 after contracting coronavirus at the Holmesley Care Home in Sidford, Devon.

The deaths all came at the height of the Covid pandemic when rules were in place intended to protect residents from infection.

After the inquest on Thursday, Mick Koch - son of Ms Koch - said he wanted to take the matter further and see it scrutinised at the national Covid inquiry.

Alison Longhorn, area coroner for Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, said that while there were proper processes at the home these “were not effectively or consistently followed” by all the staff working there.

Earlier in the inquest, it was heard two staff members - manager Joanne Burchell and nurse Christos Provistallis - had been arrested on suspicion of ill-treatment or wilful neglect in connection with the deaths. CPS officials decided there was not a realistic prospect of conviction.

Allegations were heard during the inquest that Mr Provistallis refused to wear a face mask after claiming "Covid was a conspiracy".

Others alleged Ms Burchell had not sent sick staff home due to shortages and had ignored positive lateral flow test results.

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Source: BBC News, 18 October 2024