Care home manager fined over failure to protect resident

A care home manager has been ordered to pay more than £2,300 after failing to provide safe care and treatment to a resident.

Suzanne Kirkbride, registered manager of Hall Lane Resource Centre, entered a guilty plea to an offence relating to a failure to provide safe care and treatment to Laura Margaret Donnelly that exposed her to a significant risk of avoidable harm.

The case highlighted concerns around diabetes, fluid and hydration and medicines management.

The court fined Kirkbride £1,666 and ordered her to pay a £167 victim surcharge and £500 costs.

Rosalind Sanderson, deputy director of enforcement at the Care Quality Commission, which brought forward the prosecution, said: ‘This is a distressing case, and our sympathies are with Laura’s family and those affected by her death. Suzanne Kirkbride failed in her duty to protect her by placing her in an unsafe service where staff weren’t trained to understand her condition and manage her complex needs.’