OAP'S DEATH AT CARE HOME 'AVOIDABLE'

Two owners of The Ormsby Centre in East Street admitted breaching health and safety laws at Worthing Magistrates' Court last Wednesday. Alan Lucas and Richard Wooton were each fined 16,000 and told to pay a total of 22,560 costs.

On November 2, 2005, two care assistants placed 86-year-old Bettina East, a resident at The Ormsby Centre, into a bath.

But the assistants failed to carry out a number of health and safety checks, including a full temperature check, before lowering her into the bath.

Mrs East suffered severe scalding to her legs and died days later. The scalds were confirmed to be a contributory factor to her death.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Maria Strangward said: "This case highlights the serious consequences of not sticking to the guidance set by health and safety for residential care homes.

"There are a number of reasonable measures the care assistants could have taken that would have prevented this tragic incident.

For full story see West Sussex Gazette October 31