Derby care home police probe after man dies from choking

The death of a man in his 70s suspected of dying from choking in a care home is being investigated by police.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors visited Normanton Village View Nursing Home, in Derby, in September "prompted in part by notification of an incident following which a person using the service died".

Police said no arrests have been made and the home was helping its inquiries.

Rushcliffe Care Group, which runs the home, has been approached for comment.

Det Con Richard Wilson, of Derbyshire Police, said: "There is an ongoing investigation into the death of a man at Normanton Village View Nursing Home.

"The nursing home has been fully co-operative with our inquiries."

The home has been rated "inadequate" by the CQC and is therefore in special measures.

Findings of the recently published CQC inspection said the home was rated "inadequate" for its safety and leadership, and when inspectors assessed whether the service was caring, responsive and well-led it was found to "require improvement".

The report said the circumstances surrounding the man's death "is subject to a criminal investigation and as a result this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident".

"However, the information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of risk of choking. This inspection examined those risks," it said.

"Following the death of a person from choking, management had put processes in place in order to ensure the risks of this re-occurring were addressed.

"We saw staff on the unit where the person had died were taking correct actions in line with these processes.

"However, we found food left unattended on another unit which put people at risk of avoidable harm."

The inspection found residents were not always protected from avoidable harm and staff did also not always follow safe medicines management and infection control practices.

The home will be re-inspected to see if standards have improved.