A Dorset care home has refused to refund over £10,000 in fees to a family after a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation.

The investigation found “evidential acts of neglect” and omissions in the care of a resident at Farrington Care’s Lyme Regis Nursing Home.

The resident was hospitalised within a week of entering the home in April 2022 because of issues relating to his diabetes through lack of blood sugar monitoring. He sadly died in May 2022.

A safeguarding investigation found significant failings in the man’s care, amounting to “evidential acts of neglect” and omissions in his care. This included poor oral care, diabetes management, pain records and medication management.

The home apologised to the family and refunded part of a deposit paid, having deducted fees for a notice period.

The Ombudsman issued an Adverse Findings Notice against Farrington Care after it refused his recommendation to fully refund the fees for his seven-week stay at the home plus the two weeks’ notice the family was asked to pay.

Amerdeep Somal, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: “The poor care provided to the man caused him unnecessary pain and suffering, and his family significant distress. I reject the provider’s suggestion that putting things right for this family would negatively impact the high standards of care it provides for residents. It now needs to do the decent thing and carry out our recommendations and reimburse the man’s estate.

“The way an organisation responds to complaints says a lot about the internal culture of that organisation, and, while it has provided some of the remedies that have been recommended, I am concerned its response to our investigation suggests it has not fully grasped the gravity of what happened to this family and is open and able to learn from what has gone wrong.”