Reginald Cauthery
4 Oct 2022 · Coroner Sarah Bourke · Inner North London
The coroner's concerns
1. lack of telecare service review
“There was no review of the telecare service provided to Mr [name redacted] despite the agencies working with him being aware of his increased fire risk and deteriorating mobility.”
2. delayed emergency response due to disconnected smoke alarm
“The ability of frail and vulnerable people to get urgent help in a fire situation will often depend upon other people recognising that a smoke alarm has triggered and calling the Fire Brigade. This raises particular problems if the person lives alone and their smoke alarm is not connected to their telecare system.”
3. delayed 999 call due to manual alarm verification
“If Mr [name redacted] smoke alarm had been connected to his telecare system, the call would have been answered as a priority. In addition, the call handler would not have spent several minutes seeking confirmation that the smoke alarm was going off before making a 999 call.”
Responses
2022-0326-Response-from-Department-of-Health-and-Social-Care.pdf ↗· Department of Health and Social Care
2022-0326-Response-from-Home-Care-Quality-Commission-.pdf ↗· Care Quality Commission
2022-0326-Response-from-Home-Office.pdf ↗· Home Office
2022-0326-Response-from-Lodon-Borough-of-Hackney.pdf ↗· Home Office
Stated action · 2nd February, 2023
“The Council attaches a table in which it sets out, by column, its identification of what could be done better, learning from the circumstances of Mr [name redacted] death, the action it intends to take and the time-frame for that action.”
2022-0326-Response-from-TEC-Services-Association.pdf ↗· Telecare Services Association
Stated action
“they have since written to LBH, to offer their Occupational Therapy services to conduct reassessments of the TEC customers, if LBH is unable to conduct them.”
2022-0326-Response-from-UK-Telehealthcare.pdf ↗· UK Telehealthcare