Nursing home ‘failed to follow procedure’

AN ELDERLY woman who is presumed dead after disappearing from a nursing home might have been recovered if staff had followed proper procedures in caring for her, a judge has said.

Widow Maura Reynolds, 78, who suffered from cancer and Alzheimer’s, went missing from the Tara Care Centre on Putland Road, Bray, Co Wicklow, on Christmas night in 2005, after spending the day with family. Despite extensive searches, no trace of her was ever found.

At Bray District Court yesterday, the owners of the nursing home, Paul and Anne Costello were fined €2,000 after pleading guilty to breaching the Nursing Homes (Care and Welfare) Regulations 1993 — under which they are obliged to provide “suitable and sufficient care to maintain a patient’s welfare and well- being”.

Judge John O’Neill described the events surrounding Ms Reynolds’s death as “tragic”. “I can attempt to appreciate the distress her family must have suffered and the distress they are still suffering,” he said.

“The only consolation they can have is that she spent the last hours of her life with her family and I am sure it was a happy time for her family and herself, but the awful tragedy is that her family do not even have a grave to visit.”

Mrs Reynolds was returned to the nursing home by her family at 8.30pm on Christmas night and was brought to her room around midnight but was only discovered missing at 6.50am the next morning, despite instructions to staff that she was to be checked regularly.

Anne Costello spent several hours working at the nursing home that day but subsequently left to be with her own family, leaving a number of staff in charge. None of those who worked at the home at the time are still employed there.

Judge O’Neill said he noted that Mrs Costello had more than 30 years’ experience in the health and care services.

However, he said: “This unfortunate lady was returned to the nursing home by her family and the procedures were that she was to be monitored on a two- hourly basis but this procedure was not followed and the awful tragedy was that it was not until the following day that her disappearance was discovered.

“Had checks been carried out and had she been discovered missing at an earlier time, it is possible that she may have been located.”

He said he had no doubt that Ms Costello was concerned and upset by what had happened to one of her patients but he said: “I cannot ignore the fact that this lady was suffering from Alzheimer’s and was not properly monitored. Her illness should have been an alarm to the staff and she should be monitored regularly and certainly as often as every two hours. I cannot ignore the fact that several hours had elapsed before she was noticed missing.”

Handing down the convictions and imposing the fines, Judge O’Neill also ordered the Costellos to pay €2,500 in costs to the HSE which brought the prosecution. However, he spared them the most severe penalty available — three months in prison.

The Costellos refused to comment afterwards. Ms Reynolds’s daughter-in-law, Priscilla Reynolds, said she was looking forward to the new legislation due on nursing home standards. “It will be interesting to see what changes they make,” she said.

Age Action welcomed the outcome of the case. “Today’s case highlights the need for strict standards and enforcement,” said spokesman Eamon Timmins.