Sutton Bridge woman ‘starved in care home’

An elderly dementia patient from Sutton Bridge died because staff at a care home did not give her sufficient food, a jury at Lincoln Crown Court was told on Wednesday. Edna Barnes, 82, was allegedly given little more than one-tenth of the daily food and drink needed for an adult woman to survive during here time at the Adderley Care Home at Long Sutton.
Felicity Gerry, prosecuting, told the jury that staff at the care home were too busy concentrating on their own Christmas preparations and Mrs Barnes, a grandmother and a mother of eight whose home was in Sutton Bridge, deteriorated rapidly during her stay.
She was admitted to Lynn’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, with severe dehydration and passed away four days later on December31, 2008.
Mrs Barnes was able to consume pureed food and liquids but records from the home indicated she was given as little as 275mls of fluid intake a day when an adult woman needed between 2,500 and 3,000 mls.
Miss Gerry said: “The amount she was given was obviously inadequate. It was not very much at all.
“It is no coincidence that this neglect took place around Christmas. You may think that Christmas and holidays were prioritized over patient care.”
Mrs Barnes needed one-to-one feeding which would take up to an hour per meal but the health authorities provided extra funding to pay for additional staff time.

Sutton Bridge woman ‘starved in care home’ - Crime and Courts - Lynn News