Dementia patient failed by safeguarding system in Northern Ireland

An aged dementia diligent was failed by the strategy enactment successful spot to support Northern Ireland's astir susceptible adults.

Stanley O'Neill was not showered for 3 months and was recovered wrapping a cord astir his neck.

Despite healthcare guidelines, those and different failings were not referred for big safeguarding investigations.

A reappraisal besides criticised his nursing location for not being unfastened and transparent with the 79-year-old's family.

Mr O'Neill died successful infirmary connected 20 December 2021.

His household said they had been near "devastated" by a bid of failings astir his attraction identified by a Belfast Health Trust investigation.

In a connection Bradley Manor Care Home offered its condolences and apologised to Mr O'Neill's family.

Its spokesperson said: "The information of our residents is, and ever has been, of paramount value to america but connected this juncture we failed to conscionable immoderate precocious standards that are rightly expected of us.

"The Covid-19 pandemic was an unprecedented play for the big societal attraction assemblage and though we connection nary excuses we were faced with unsocial stresses and an enormously challenging climate."

The big safeguarding strategy is meant to support susceptible adults successful the healthcare strategy erstwhile staff, relatives oregon patients rise concerns astir their well-being.

But successful an interrogation with BBC News NI, Northern Ireland's nationalist healthcare watchdog said susceptible adults successful Northern Ireland were being failed.

Sophie O'Neill and her gramps were incredibly adjacent and she described him arsenic "the rock" of her family.

But erstwhile Stanley O'Neill received a dementia diagnosis everything changed.

Things became unmanageable astatine location and a fig of nursing location and infirmary stays followed.

In January 2021, during the pandemic, Mr O'Neill became a nonmigratory astatine Bradley Manor successful northbound Belfast. He was placed determination by the Belfast Health Trust pursuing a infirmary stay.

His granddaughter Sophie said her household began flagging a fig of concerning incidents.

She said: "Initially determination were 2 unwitnessed falls astatine nighttime that we were disquieted astir but past I noticed that his telephone doorbell had been removed from his room.

"It was lone passed connected to america weeks aboriginal due to the fact that I asked unit and they said that helium was seen wrapping the cord astir his cervix and they had removed it."

Sophie added: "I was wholly shocked and couldn't recognize wherefore it had taken truthful agelong to pass his family.

"So for maine safeguarding issues were happening and determination was nary enactment taken."

The archetypal clip Sophie said she heard the word "safeguarding referral" being utilized was erstwhile her gramps was taken to infirmary successful December 2021.

Sophie recovered Mr O'Neill unresponsive successful his country successful Bradley Manor and helium was admitted to the Mater Hospital successful Belfast.

Sophie said: "When I arrived 1 of the infirmary unit said they were acrophobic astir grandad.

"They said his oral attraction was the worst they had ever seen, and that's when, finally, the infirmary started talking astir an big safeguarding referral."

Mr O'Neill was admitted to infirmary connected 6 December and died 14 days later.

His household did not person a telephone telephone astir the big safeguarding referral until 2 days aft his decease and investigators were unaware that helium had died.

The lawsuit has been referred to the coroner, who volition yet find the authoritative origin of death.

Sophie said: "The full constituent of a safeguarding referral is to support idiosyncratic truthful this was excessively precocious for my granddad."

Mr O'Neill's lawsuit was yet investigated by the Belfast Health Trust arsenic a superior adverse incident.

A superior adverse incidental is defined arsenic immoderate lawsuit oregon condition that led oregon could person led to superior unintended oregon unexpected harm to patients.

Investigation reports should beryllium submitted wrong 12 weeks from the day the incidental is reported.

His household received a draught study successful April 2023. It found:

The study concluded that determination were failures by each parties progressive successful Mr O'Neill's care.

Following the study into his case, learning letters person been issued to wellness and societal attraction unit connected however to negociate big safeguarding issues.

The fig of big safeguarding referrals successful Northern Ireland has accrued successful caller years from 4,778 successful 2019 to 6,897 successful 2021.

The Department of Health said the summation could subordinate to "greater nationalist consciousness of big abuse".

The failings identified successful Mr O'Neill's lawsuit travel arsenic the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (Nipso) has been raising concerns astir Northern Ireland's big safeguarding system.

"From a fig of cases that person travel into my office, I deliberation it is wide that our big safeguarding strategy is not acceptable for purpose," said ombudsman Margaret Kelly.

"A batch of the clip it is families who person had to gully the attraction to healthcare unit astir imaginable failings successful attraction and that conscionable isn't right."

In caller years the ombudsman's bureau has dealt with 8 nursing and attraction location cases - successful 7 of those, big safeguarding was an issue.

The ombudsman cases included:

"Unfortunately portion these cases amusement superior failings, I deliberation they are the extremity of the iceberg," Ms Kelly said.

She added: "Northern Ireland is successful information of falling down erstwhile it comes to protecting our astir vulnerable."

Northern Ireland is inactive the lone portion of the UK and Ireland without circumstantial big safeguarding legislation, contempt commitments by a fig of wellness ministers to instrumentality it.

The Department of Health said it recognised determination were "shortfalls" successful the existent authorities and a caller big safeguarding measure would beryllium brought guardant erstwhile the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly returns.

Bradley Manor said the wellbeing of its residents was its main absorption and it had already implemented a fig of changes to code the shortfalls identified by the report.

The Belfast Trust said it has undertaken enhanced monitoring astatine the attraction location and worked to instrumentality prime and information improvements.

Reflecting connected her grandfather's case, Sophie said: "If immoderate different families spell done this I would conscionable counsel them to not beryllium acrophobic to talk up for your loved one."

A breached safeguarding system. A household seeking answers. This is Stanley's story.