Care Company Fined £50,000 After Resident's Death

Harmony CCS Limited, a Belfast-based healthcare company, has been fined £50,000 after the death of 89-year-old Mary ‘Pat’ Thompson, who fell unattended from her bed at Rose Lodge Nursing Home in Lisburn. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) revealed that Mrs. Thompson had care plans indicating she required the assistance of two carers for safe movement, yet she was left alone at the edge of her bed while receiving personal care. The company pleaded guilty to a health and safety breach, and the HSENI emphasized that care plans must clearly define resident needs and be strictly followed by staff. The investigation also found that staff relied on informal assessments rather than formal systems to determine care requirements, contributing to the incident. HSENI inspector Kiara Blackburn stated that adequate training and supervision of staff are vital to ensuring resident safety. The current owners of the nursing home, who took over after the incident, expressed their condolences to Mrs. Thompson's family.