Care home resident's jewellery lost after death

A care home "failed to provide a good standard of care" to a former resident and lost some jewellery after she died, a report said.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found that staff at Aria Court in March, Cambridgeshire, did not feed the woman in their care in the way they should have.

After the woman died in January 2025 her daughter said rings were missing and that the care manager had not been able to find them.

The ombudsman upheld a complaint against Cambridgeshire County Council, which said it was working to ensure steps were taken to reduce the risk of something similar happening again.

Athena Care Homes (UK) Limited, the care home's operator, was contacted for comment.

The ombudsman's report said the woman, referred to as Mrs X, moved into the care home in October 2024 and had dementia and was no longer able to speak or feed herself.

The report stated that Mrs X's care plan explained that she needed one-to-one assistance to eat and drink, and each hour she should be encouraged to drink.

However, Mrs X's daughter, referred to as Ms B, raised concerns after visiting her mother and noticing that in the two hours she was there no staff came to check on her mother or offer her a drink as required.

The following day Mrs X was admitted to hospital with dehydration and suspected sepsis.

Mrs X was discharged back to the care home on October 29, but was readmitted to hospital the next day.

She later returned to the care home in November, where her family continued to notice ongoing problems with their mother's care.

The county council told the ombudsman that the management at the care home had changed.

The ombudsman said the council should offer £500 each to Ms B and Mr X in recognition of the "distress they suffered witnessing the care provider's failures to treat Mrs X correctly".

The ombudsman also said a further £250 should be offered to Ms B in recognition of the time and trouble she had been through in making the complaint.

A spokesperson for the county council said: "We accept the findings of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman who has identified shortcomings in the service provided to this family and we are complying with all their recommendations.

"The care provider has acknowledged their responsibility for the issues and the council has actively worked with them to ensure that steps have been taken to reduce the risk of something similar happening again."

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