Carer left man, 86, on toilet for 10 hours

A coroner raised concerns about a lack of regulation for agency care workers after a man was found dead, having been left on a toilet for 10 hours.

Jack Brown, 86, who was suffering from delerium, was admitted to a care home after a hospital stay.

On 25 January 2023, he was helped to the bathroom at 21:30 GMT by a carer and fell asleep. Attempts were made to rouse him, but he was left until 07:30 the next morning and at 08:00, concerns were raised that he was unresponsive.

Northamptonshire coroner Sophie Lomas has raised concerns with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) that agency care staff are not on a register and have no regulation by a governing body.

DHSC has not responded to a BBC request for comment.

Mr Brown had been admitted to the care home on the understanding he needed one-to-one supervision and help with daily tasks after a hospital stay for heart failure and hyponatraemia - a condition associated with cognitive decline, according to the NHS.

After a carer noted Mr Brown was unresponsive on 26 January at 08:00, other staff checked on him and discovered he had died.

In a prevention of future deaths report, Ms Lomas said she heard evidence that care agencies that provide agency care staff do not need to register with the Care Quality Commission and are not regulated by any other body.

This meant there were no checks to ensure "rigorous recruitment processes" and no official body to report concerns.

Ms Lomas said: "This gives rise to a concern as care homes may rely on agencies to vet agency carers and have minimal input into suitability and training for the role.

"This creates a risk that agency care staff, who may be wholly unsuitable for the role, are providing care to vulnerable people without basic checks as to experience and suitability."

A post-mortem examination concluded Mr Brown died due to ischemic heart disease.

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