Eileen Dean care home killing: No risk assessment done on attacker

No ceremonial hazard appraisal was done connected a antheral who bushed a chap attraction location nonmigratory to death, a reappraisal has found.

Alexander Rawson attacked 93-year-old Eileen Dean with a metallic walking instrumentality astatine a attraction location successful south-east London.

Mrs Dean suffered catastrophic injuries to her caput and assemblage and died aboriginal successful hospital.

A review recovered Fieldside Care Home successful Catford did not supply the specializer intelligence wellness services that Rawson - who had a past of unit - needed.

Rawson, who had a past of intelligence wellness problems caused by alcoholism, was 62 erstwhile helium was placed successful the location a fewer days earlier Christmas 2020.

He was enactment successful the country adjacent to Mrs Dean and, successful the archetypal week of 2021, helium went into her country astatine nighttime and attacked her.

In a reappraisal published connected Friday, the Lewisham Safeguarding Adults Board said Rawson had been moved into the location aft being an inpatient astatine a psychiatric portion tally by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

The attraction location was the lone spot that agreed to instrumentality him aft his discharge from hospital.

The study described however Rawson was moved betwixt 4 infirmary wards and a attraction location successful 3 locations and betwixt 2 NHS trusts with accusation not gathered, recorded correctly oregon passed on.

In the months earlier helium was moved into the attraction home, Rawson was progressive successful astatine slightest 34 recorded incidents of unit oregon threats to patients and wellness staff, including a menace to kill.

He had threatened to usage a breadstuff knife, scissors and meal trays arsenic weapons, had thrown jugs of h2o and cups and smashed instrumentality including computers, a vigor and a clang trolley.

Before helium was placed successful the home, nary attempts were made to find retired whether Rawson had travel into interaction with the transgression justness strategy implicit his behaviour, the study found.

It states that the attraction location had asked astir the risks Rawson posed earlier they took him and had been reassured by a societal idiosyncratic and aesculapian staff.

The reappraisal besides recovered that erstwhile the attraction location agreed to instrumentality Rawson, it had not told the watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), that it was lodging radical nether the property of 65 with definite intelligence wellness needs.

A CQC spokesperson said: "The circumstances of Eileen Dean's decease are appalling and our thoughts are with everyone affected.

"Health and societal attraction providers indispensable guarantee they adequately measure the needs of radical receiving their services, and collaborate to guarantee due placements are made.

"This includes sharing each applicable accusation erstwhile a transportation is being considered, truthful a person's caller work tin measure whether it tin conscionable their needs portion ensuring the information of different radical utilizing the service."

Mrs Dean's girl Georgina Hampshaw said successful a statement: "It is with large sadness and regret that the published study confirms our worst fears of the galore failings by the assorted agencies and trusts charged with managing the attraction and placement of the idiosyncratic liable for the decease of my parent Eileen Dean.

"The determination to spot this idiosyncratic astatine the attraction location wherever my parent resided could not person been much flawed and resulted straight successful the horrific execution of my gentle mother.

"Numerous opportunities were missed by truthful galore agencies that whitethorn person prevented the horrific incident.

"I sincerely anticipation that the recommendations elaborate wrong the study are adopted expeditiously and successful full.

"No different household should person to endure the nonaccomplishment of a loved 1 successful specified tragic circumstances."

Nathalie Zacharias, manager of therapies astatine South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We invited the report's findings and recommendations and person conducted our ain afloat probe which identified wherever we tin marque improvements to the attraction we provide.

"This includes putting robust checks successful spot to guarantee each known risks, including those which instrumentality spot disconnected our premises, are afloat recorded and documented and ensuring radical successful our communities proceed to person the attraction and attraction astir suitable for their needs."