Care Home Crisis: What You Need to Know About Neglect and Your Loved One’s Rights

When you choose a care home, you are placing immense trust in the staff to provide the highest standard of care for your loved one. But behind the promises, the reality of care home negligence is a growing concern with devastating consequences.

This isn’t an isolated problem. Recent reports indicate that complaints are frequently upheld: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman upheld over 80% of all adult social care complaints it investigated in detail in 2023-2024.

Understanding what constitutes a failing and knowing the immediate steps to take is crucial to protecting your family and holding negligent care homes accountable.

The Most Common & Devastating Care Home Failings

Care home negligence often stems from chronic understaffing, mismanagement, or insufficient training. These failures lead to serious, yet often preventable, harm:

1. Preventable Injuries: Falls and Handling Errors

Falls are a major risk for elderly residents. When care homes fail to conduct proper risk assessments, remove hazards, or provide adequate supervision, the results can be catastrophic, including fractures and head trauma.

• Alarming Stat: The number of serious injuries and deaths reported in care homes almost doubled between 2021 and 2023, with preventable falls being a major contributing factor.

2. The Hidden Scourge: Pressure Sores (Ulcers)

Pressure sores are a classic indicator of neglect, especially for residents with limited mobility. They are preventable if residents are repositioned regularly and proper pressure-relieving equipment is used.

• The Danger: Left untreated, pressure sores can rapidly deteriorate, leading to severe infections, sepsis, and intense pain.

3. Neglect of Basic Needs: Nutrition and Hydration

Failure to monitor residents’ dietary intake or provide adequate assistance during mealtimes can lead to serious malnutrition and dehydration. These issues severely compromise a resident’s immune system and overall health.

• Survey Insight: One study found that 19% of care home staff reported witnessing residents being given insufficient time for food.

4. Medication Errors and Untreated Medical Needs

Delays in contacting healthcare professionals, or errors in administering prescribed medications (wrong dose, wrong time, or wrong drug), can lead to a worsening of existing conditions or new, life-threatening complications.

• Common Theme: Gaps in staff training and mismanagement of medicines are routinely highlighted as common themes in struggling care homes.

5. Emotional and Psychological Neglect

Neglect isn’t always physical. Verbal abuse, dismissive attitudes, or a failure to provide a safe, supportive, and stimulating environment constitutes emotional and psychological abuse. This can result in anxiety, depression, and a rapid decline in mental wellbeing.

• Reported Neglect: The most common abusive behaviours witnessed by care home staff were largely matters of neglect, such as making a resident wait for care (26% of staff).

The Types of Cases We Deal With

1. Injuries from Unsupervised Incidents and Mobility Errors

These cases involve residents sustaining significant physical injuries due to a lack of proper supervision, inadequate risk assessment, or errors in handling.

• Elderly resident left a care home unsupervised and sustained a fractured hip
• Gentleman “escapes” from care home and sustained significant injury
• Elderly lady suffers fractured hip due to inadequate professional care provided at home
• Elderly resident suffers extensive bruising whilst being negligently hoisted in a care home

• Resident let down by care workers leading to the development of pressure sores
• Elderly woman suffers period of neglect at care home leading to development of pressure ulcers
• Neglect by care home staff results in hospital admission for elderly gentleman

Immediate Action: What You Must Do Now

If your loved one has suffered harm due to negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. The evidence you document in step one is crucial for building a successful case.

Irvings Law specialises in helping families navigate the claims process and holding care homes accountable for their failings, fighting for the justice and compensation your loved one deserves.

For a no-obligation, confidential discussion:

• Call us on: 0151 475 1999 or Freephone 0800 954 0243
• Email your enquiry to: info@irvingslaw.com

You can also find more information on our care home injury compensation page.