The family of a resident who died after suffering an unexplained head injury at a care home have expressed their shock at learning the home employed an 80-year-old senior nurse.

Eighty-three year-old Josephine Coggins died at hospital with pneumonia after suffering the injury at HC-One’s Tower Bridge Care Centre in Southwark in June 2022.

An investigation by HC-One found the elderly nurse was not strong enough to help hoist residents and failed to call 999 after Ms Coggins suffered her head injury.

Ms Coggins’ daughter Rachel Jarmyn told The Guardian she was “flabbergasted” when she found out the senior nurse’s age.

“When we first discovered that I thought someone had made a mistake,” she said. “It’s absolutely beyond belief.”

An investigation into the incident found Ms Coggins’ injury probably occurred when two other care workers were hoisting her from her chair into bed.

The elderly nurse “resigned to retire with immediate effect” when facing disciplinary action over her failure to notify emergency services about Ms Coggins’ head injury.

A spokesperson for Tower Bridge Care Centre said: “Our deepest condolences are with the family and loved ones of Ms Coggins. For the past year since this tragic incident took place we have been working closely with our local authority and safeguarding partners to understand the full facts of the matter in more detail. We are deeply sorry that these investigations have not been able to provide the answers Ms Coggins’ loved ones need.

“What is clear is that the behaviour and attitude of a number of our former colleagues was simply unacceptable, and not in line with our values of transparency and kindness.

“We have a new local and regional management team in place since this incident occurred in June 2022, and have had extensive senior support in the home for some time now to ensure that lessons are learned. Under their close supervision and experienced leadership, we are continuing to work closely with Southwark Council, and the relevant safeguarding authorities involved in this ongoing case.

“Though we sadly cannot change the experience of Ms Coggins and her family, we are committed to doing all we can to make sure that we provide the best possible standard of care at the home and embed a culture of openness and trust under our new management.”