Care home firm to pay £26k after window fall

A care home provider has been fined £10,000 after a resident fell from a first-floor window, suffering life-changing injuries.

Crest House Care Ltd, based in East Sussex, admitted failing to provide safe care and treatment, causing avoidable harm.

Brighton magistrates also ordered the firm to pay £14,764.47 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge, bringing the total payable to £26,764.47, following the resident's fall on 18 July 2022.

In a statement, Crest House Care Ltd said it had "cooperated fully" with the CQC and accepted responsibility.

The CQC's deputy director of operations for East Sussex, Amy Jupp, said care home residents had the right to expect homes would properly assess and manage risks, but added: "Tragically, this did not happen."

After the hearing, the CQC said the window did not have legally required safety restrictors.

Injuries suffered by the resident included multiple fractures, including to their spine, femur and foot and a scalp haemorrhage.

The resident has undergone several surgical procedures since the fall and has ongoing mobility problems, the CQC said.

Prosecutors said the provider failed to take "reasonably practicable steps" to mitigate the known risk of falls from height, and breached the legal requirement to ensure windows above ground level cannot open more than 10cm (4ins).

Jupp said: "The failure of Crest House to identify and address clear dangers was unacceptable, resulting in serious harm to a highly vulnerable person and potentially putting other residents at that same risk."

She urged all care providers to check their window restrictors meet safety standards "to avoid this happening to other people".

Crest House Care Ltd said: "Following the incident, we took extensive voluntary action well beyond what was required."

Actions included significant capital investment, replacement and upgrading of windows and safety restrictors and strengthened policies and procedures, said the care provider.

"Resident safety has always been, and remains, our absolute priority," the statement said.

"The court recognised the substantial improvements made and the very low likelihood of harm.

"We remain fully committed to continuous improvement and to providing safe, high-quality care."

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