Heathbrook House: Son's grief after Bromsgrove care neglect

Irene Fenn became a resident at Heathbrook House in Bromsgrove with her husband in 2019 after her Alzheimer's progressed. 

Her son, Robert Fenn from Droitwich, said he and his sister were reassured as the BUPA home was rated in the top 20 but problems later started to arise. 

Mr Fenn said the home had a "total lack of basic care" and his mum was left without being showered for two weeks, her wound dressings went unchanged for eight days and the home was "filthy". 

An inquest in March 2023 found "neglect" contributed to her death in July 2022 from sepsis due to an untreated pressure sore. 

Senior Coroner David Reid said there was an "overwhelming amount of evidence" of the neglect the 88-year-old suffered in the last six months of her life and neglect was included on her death certificate. 

Robert Fenn (Image: Handout)

Mr Fenn, aged 59, said: "What my mum went through was an atrocity. The home knew about the pressure sore on her foot and withheld information from the family. 

"They covered it with a boot and told us it was just a small bruise, but it was incubating the infection. 

"She wasn't being showered for two weeks, the dressing wasn't being changed regularly, they sometimes left her for hours without moving her and they gave her another resident's medication. 

"I asked one of the nurses what was going on and she said 'what this home has done to your mum is disgusting and they should be ashamed'. She was the only person that spoke the truth." 

When Irene was taken to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, they immediately raised safeguarding concerns and sent her to Worcestershire Royal Hospital for treatment. 

The doctors said Irene had developed osteomyelitis, which meant the infection had reached the bone and there was nothing they could do.

She died 11 days later. 

Heathbrook House Nursing Home (Image: Google)

Mr Fenn said: "Safeguarding described it as one of the worst cases of neglect they'd ever seen.

"My mum had a 10cm pressure sore on her foot and a sore on her groin and under her left breast. She must have been in agony. 

"The hospital staff were fantastic but sadly the infection was so bad they couldn't do anything for her. 

"I asked the doctor what the horrendous smell was at the hospital and he said it was my mum. I still can't get that smell out of my head after two years."

Despite the inquest confirming that neglect was a contributing factor to Irene's death, the family feel they still haven't got justice over a year later. 

Following the evidence heard at the inquest, including the staff not being trained to deal with Irene's condition, the family want BUPA to be prosecuted. 

They also criticised the CQC for taking so long to investigate whether a criminal offence took place. 

Mr Fenn said: "What happened has changed me as a person. I've gone from being light-hearted to cynical. I genuinely fear for old people in this country.  

"I haven't been able to go to my mum and dad's grave as I feel so guilty. I was supposed to look out for them. I know my mum is screaming for justice from the grave. 

"The first thing I will do when we get justice is visit my mum and dad's grave to lay flowers and say sorry." 

Irene Fenn died in July 2022 (Image: Handout)

In response, a spokesperson for the CQC offered condolences to the family and said they are making enquiries to establish whether a criminal offence has been committed within CQC's remit.

They added: "Those enquiries are ongoing, and we will keep Irene’s family updated when there is any new information or findings to share. 

"During this time, CQC is continuing to monitor the home to make sure the provider is meeting its obligations to keep people safe."

Nicola Doughty, managing director for Heathbrook House, said: "We are deeply sorry that on this occasion our care fell short of our quality standards. Our thoughts are with Mrs Fenn’s family.

"Following this very sad incident, we wrote to Mr Fenn in December 2022 to offer our deepest condolences. We also shared the findings from our investigation and the learnings we were taking forward. Our team also apologised in person to Mr Fenn for the failings in care.

"Since 2022 we have refreshed training for our teams in wound prevention, wound care management, medication management and sepsis awareness. 

"We have also introduced a new management team to the home, including a new home manager, deputy home manager and regional director, and have a full team of nurses providing high-quality care to our much-loved residents."

Ms Doughty also said the home has worked with the CQC during their investigations to ensure transparency and share the changes made since 2022.