Relatives of six residents who suffered multiple falls at a Cheshire care home have welcomed a coroner's decision to open an inquest into their deaths.
Kylie Gobbin, whose mother Winifred Tubb, who lived at St Luke's School in Runcorn, Cheshire, fell 32 times in 11 months, told the BBC: “I don't think she had time to grieve because she wanted answers.”
Cheshire Coroner Victoria Davies said at the beginning and end of the inquests that there were “care concerns” and potentially “unnatural elements” in each of the six cases.
A spokeswoman for Halton Borough Council, which runs St Luke's Hospital, said the local authority was “cooperating fully and supporting the coroner's investigation”.
Family members told the BBC they had been campaigning for answers for two years (BBC)
A full inquest will be held in November 2026 for Leonard Allen, 79, Patricia Cree, 81, Raymond Thomas, 67, Winifred Tubb, 78, Barbara Jeffers, 82, and Victor Collinson, 78.
Mrs Gobbin read a statement on behalf of the whole family outside Cheshire Coroner's Court, saying: “The family has a right to know the answers to the questions they have been asking the CQC and Halton Borough Council for two years.
“We cannot change the past, but we can change the impact on the future of other service users and prevent mental and physical harm from occurring to other service users.”
St Luke's Care Home in Runcorn currently has a 'requires improvement' rating from the Care Quality Commission (BBC).
Ms Gobin previously told the BBC that her mother worked in the care sector until she was diagnosed with dementia in 2010, but moved to St Luke's in June 2021.
She said her mother suffered from repeated falls and broke her hip in October 2021.
Leigh Day lawyer Emma Jones, who is representing the family, said the opening of the inquest was “an important milestone towards justice and answers for the family”.
She said: “Concerns shared by families include inadequate fall prevention, failure to provide adequate personal care, failure to provide adequate dementia care, failure to conduct risk assessments, inadequate implementation of care plans, and infection prevention and control issues.”
“The family believes that the care and treatment accelerated their loved one's decline and contributed to his death.”
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