Home care patient left on floor
19 May 2009
An investigation is under way in Cornwall after a disabled woman fell and broke her hip when she was left without home care.
Wendy Brinksman, 68, from Newquay, was twice assured care was in place after she was discharged from hospital, but no one arrived to help her.
After falling, she was unable to move and found 12 hours later by a postman.
Mrs Brinksman, who has multiple sclerosis, was discharged from the Royal Cornwall Hospital in February after being treated for an infection.
Cornwall Council's social care team had assured the hospital her home care package was in place and repeated the assurance later to her son when he made inquiries.
But no carer arrived the evening she was discharged and she later fell and broke her hip while trying to get into bed.
No carer came the next morning and Mrs Brinksman was discovered at 1030 GMT by the postman after spending 12 hours in pain on the floor calling for help.
Her son, Simon Smith, said it "never should have happened".
'Extra mile'
"We went that extra mile to check the obvious, and they failed, not once, but twice. They failed to turn up in the evening and failed to turn up in the morning."
The council said the incident was being investigated by a senior council manager and an independent person and that it was "committed to learning lessons to ensure that similar failures are not repeated in the future".
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