Dad was able to wander off from care home

[Whatisthisfuckery]

My dad, who has quite advanced Alzheimer’s, has gone into a care home for a couple of weeks for respite care. He is very confused and really doesn’t know where he is or what he’s doing.

Yesterday my mum got a call from the manager informing her that dad had somehow got out and wandered off. He was found at the shops over the road, apparently looking for my mum’s car. He was in the home less than a day and they already managed to lose him.

I’m absolutely furious with the staff at the home, where is their safeguarding? They know my dad has Alzheimer’s, that is why he’s there. Anything could have happened to him when he wandered off.

My mum isn’t very happy but she’s not the type to make a fuss. I however am concerned. If my dad was able to just wander off out the door after being there for less than a day, how many other residence have done or could do the same? This is a serious safeguarding failure and it needs to be addressed. My dad was put there to be safe, not to be allowed to wander off on his own in an area he doesn’t know.

Who should I contact about this? I don’t think there’s much point in talking to the staff at the home itself, as they can just say anything. Can anybody point me in the direction of who I can raise my concerns with so they’ll be listened to? I don’t want my dad or any other vulnerable person to be harmed because of their poor safeguarding.

I’ve called the home and been told the manager will ring me back. It was supposed to be straight away but nothing yet. I fully realise she might be run off her feet though.

I actually let someone “escape” from my mam’s care home. There are keypads on doors and the lift, but I honestly didn’t realise she was a resident. I thought she was a visitor. She had a jacket on and carried a bag.

Yep, at my grandfathers specialist dementia home there was one resident with early onset dementia who was in her late 50s and unless you knew she was a resident you would think she was just another visitor.

She would often sit on one of the sofas in the big entrance lobby and when visitors would come out of corridors/rooms she would get up and start over to the door in the hopes she could follow them out. The staff were usually pretty on the ball and made sure she never made it out but there were a couple of times where I personally had to stop some visitors from letting her out because the staff were dealing with an incident/emergency and the visitors didn't realise she was a resident, and whenever someone new came into the unit visitors would pass on the information that she was a resident to the "new" families to reduce it happening.

Contact CQC

www.cqc.org.uk/contact-us/how-complain/complain-about-service-or-provider

When I worked in a care home, only the EMI wing was locked.

I think contacting the CQC is a bit premature until you’ve spoken to the manager and got a better picture of how this happened, and what measures are in place to keep him safe.

I also imagine safeguarding will ask what the home managers response was. They’re not there as a mediation service. You need to give the manager a chance to respond.

I’m sorry you have this worry, especially as it seems the burden is falling on you.

This is not really about a deprivation of Liberty application. It’s more about a mistake having been made.

A deprivation of Liberty order is permissive, to allow, for example residential or care home staff, to lock a door or use other reasonable restraint to prevent a person from leaving a certain building, or area of a building, or otherwise causing harm to themselves or others.

From what you have said it’s not the case that your DF refused to stay at the home and they had no power to stop him from leaving, it’s just that a door was left open by mistake and be wandered off. It was a significant mistake. But one that steps can be taken to prevent happening again.

I’d focus on a dialogue with the manager for now (as you are) and the practical steps to ensure his safety. The Court of Protection has its place and at times its orders are absolutely necessary, but you don’t really want, I’d have thought, to be going down that route as a knee jerk reaction and having orders made that will significantly shift the balance of power in your father’s care away from the family. Not in these difficult times and not before you have tried other steps first.

This must have been very upsetting for you all. And your DF is no age at all to be facing this. I’m so sorry.

Manager and CQC. That is appalling.

'I’ve called the home and been told the manager will ring me back. It was supposed to be straight away but nothing yet. I fully realise she might be run off her feet though.'

Oh op no matter how busy she is something of this magnitude deserves her immediate attention. I'd ring back. A huge error occurred, yes these things do sadly happen but it really should be a priority for her to respond and assure you what actions are being taken to keep your df safe.

Yes, absolutely should be a dialogue with the registered manager.

In my case with df being given the wrong medication the SW met with the deputy manager who tried to make out that it wasn't that serious as no harm had been done. Their reply was if harm had been done including death it wouldn't be a sw she would be facing across the desk but a police officer.

Do check it has been recorded as an incident and investigated as such. The CQC reviews incidents as part of their inspections, and things like this are less likely to be quietly brushed aside if there is a record.

So, my mum spoke to the home this afternoon and asked if they’d applied for a DOLS. They told her taht as my dad is only there for a couple of weeks it’s not worth it. As you ca imagine I was not happy with this response.

I got a call back from the duty SS who said she’d contacted the home to find out what was going on, and that the manager was on it and would call me.

The deputy manager called me and explained what had happened. They looked at the CCTV, and dad had followed a member of staff out fo the two locked coded doors. Apparently when you put the code in the door there is a certain amount of time before it locks again. A staff member had exited the building, not looked behind her, and my dad, the clever sneaky little bugger he is had followed her out.

They called in the company who maintain the timer locks and had the time reduced between the code being put in and the door re-locking. They have changed the codes, just in case. They have filled out a safeguarding report thing, and they’ve reported to the CQC.

I asked why they hadn’t applied for a DOLS and they said they’d now made an urgent application.

Thanks all for the info, I wouldn’t have had a clue where to start if it wasn’t for good old MN. I was happy with what the deputy manager of the home said they’d done to try to ensure there won’t be any other escapees, and I also had a chat with one of the carers about how my dad is settling in. Apparently he’s now eating better and he seems a lot more settled.

Does it have a locked door policy? My granddad was in a double locked door home at the end as he was so unwell

I don’t think it’s maximum security as it were. The woman I spoke to did say that they’ve had to have people moved on occasion to more secure homes because they were serial explorers and they weren’t equipped to keep them safe. There is however two doors that have keypad locks which only senior staff know the codes to, and there are alarms on all the fire exits and all staff are alerted when one of them is opened.

@Whatisthisfuckery Your dad really reminds me of my mum, in a way that makes me slightly emotional. I know it’s really hard to hear but service users like our parents are unusual (clever sneaky little buggers to a tee) and do take some getting use to for any care home.

The DOL issue is a real conundrum. My mum was in and out of two local hospitals and her care home for a while so at one stage I was dealing with two or three DOL applications at a time, only one of which was valid at a certain time...It should still be applied for and there are other steps (follow and call next kin) that can be put in place.

I really don’t want to step out of my box but I strongly recommend a book called Contended Dementia. It turned my... problematic relationship with my mother with dementia (we were best best friends before she was ill) 180 degrees. It also helped the staff/carers who worked with her.

I'm glad you have had an explanation now. I think I'd be prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt as it seems they do have precautions in place, although the staff member was negligent in not checking behind her (I would have thought that would be second nature).

Hope your dad settles okay for the rest of his stay.

I’m glad you’ve had an explanation and that they are reviewing their security measures. It’s also good to hear that your dad is eating better and settling in. These are all things that have reassured us over my mother in law who has only gone into a home in the past few months. I think the lock down and covid situation has sped up the decline of many patients with dementia sadly.

It sounds like they are doing every thing they can to keep their residents and staff safe, the staff member isn't negligent , that's unfair.

Honestly I feel like the only one who actually cares about my dad.

That seems really unfair. Who was caring for him before he went in to the home? Who got him his breakfast this morning? Who helped him with his personal care? Who dealt with your call on top of a mountain of other work, knowing that the authorities do not have the resources to respond as they would like?