A woman has called for cameras to be installed in care homes after her 92-year-old grandmother fell and was left "begging and screaming" for 22 minutes. Dorothy Selwood fell to the floor as she tried to grab the chair opposite her bed.
She was screaming and banging against whatever she could to get the attention of the staff. The day after the fall Dorothy was in hospital where she caught a chest infection that would result in her death 10 days later.
One year on, Dorothy's granddaughter Samantha Tyson, 45, has started a campaign to get cameras in care homes across the country. She said: "In the last year of her life, [my grandmother] fell from the bed and her calls for help were ignored for 22 minutes. It breaks my heart to think that she suffered so much in her final days."
She added: "Now we know and other relatives should be able to have cameras too."
Dorothy's family installed cameras in her room at Blossoms Care Home in Greenhithe, Kent. The family only reviewed the footage the morning after when she was already in the hospital.
Samantha, a beautician, said: "Nan was classed as a high fall risk and her room was very far from the communal lounge. She fell a few times and I told them she would fall again and no one would hear her.
"The night of the video it was dark. She tried to get to the chair. She slipped and fell. The fall mat did not alert staff as it was faulty and she lay screaming and banging for 22 minutes.
"Her stick was across the room and her frame nowhere to be seen. Finally when two members of staff finally came they shouted and asked her 'Why are you on the floor?'
"Then both walked out without comforting her or asking if she was ok or hurt."
According to Samantha, Dorothy said she was afraid of the night staff which raised concerns for the family and prompted them to install cameras. She added: "We put cameras in with the manager's consent and also Nan's consent.
"She felt safer once we installed the camera as we could access it 24/7 and talk to her through it."
Blossoms Care Home refused to comment on the matter but released a statement that read: “Our staff followed the appropriate procedures to deal with the incident. A full report was provided to Kent County Council Safeguarding team where there was no findings of neglect.
“This report highlighted some areas of practice which could be improved, and action was taken to do so. The home manager, staff and | feel, it was an unfortunate incident, it is regrettable, and we fully empathise with Ms Selwood’s family.”
Samantha said: "They work so hard and are completely unappreciated. The majority of carers are compassionate and lovely and treat residents like family.
"They are understaffed and under a lot of pressure day to day. They work long hours and do an amazing job. The few bad carers are a very small percentage.
"To all the lovely people that have compassion for what my nan went through, I see them and recognise them for the angels there are.
"Our old people need protecting and the system needs to change."
Samantha's petition can be found here: https://chng.it/DT5cfVfWPS
