Langwith man died after swallowing rubber glove

Staff at the Langwith care home where he was a patient had been charged with monitoring him 24 hours a day but a care assistant told the inquest into his death they had been sitting outside his room with the door closed.

It emerged during the hearing at Chesterfield Coroners Court that North Eastern Derbyshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) had funded 24-hour one-to-one care for David Rushby (62), of Langwith, who was known for trying to swallow various objects.

But care assistant Sian Smith, who was on night-duty at Oaklands Care Centre, North Road, the evening before Mr Rushby died on 9th May 2009, told coroner Dr Robert Hunter that staff had been advised not to sit in Mr Rushby’s room as he would sometimes become aggressive.

Ms Smith told Dr Hunter that she could hear Mr Rushby moving around in his room.

Said Dr Hunter: “You could hear him moving around but you did not know what he was doing because you were sat outside with the door shut. How did you know he was not trying to swallow a pillow case?”

But in response Ms Smith told the coroner: “The only thing I can say is there was no previous evidence of him trying to do that.”

Dr Hunter said: “There is evidence of him trying to swallow anything he could get his hands on.”

When asked if it had been made clear to her that the PCT had paid for 24-hour one-to-one care for Mr Rushby after he returned from hospital on 5th May, Ms Smith said she was not told anything about funding and no extra staff had been taken on.

The inquest also heard evidence from ex-East Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic, Nigel Moore.

He told Dr Hunter that when he attended the scene at 10.09pm on 9th May 2009 he inspected Mr Rushby’s airway as soon as he was told the Langwith man was prone to swallowing objects.

The paramedic said he then pulled a rubber glove, which are used in the care home by staff changing incontinent patients, from Mr Rushby’s throat just above his airway.

But unfortunately, attempts to resuscitate Mr Rushby using a mechanical ventilator failed.

Mr Moore told Dr Hunter: “I thought if a guy has a tendency to swallow why leave him near rubber gloves - not a good combination.”

But he also told a member of the inquest jury that standards of care at the home seemed up to standard.

At the time of the above events Oaklands was run by Southern Cross Care Homes but has since been taken over by a different company, HC-One.

The jury inquest continues.