Edith Kirkham

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1. The intermediate care arrangement at Darnton House, was informed, was joint venture between L and M Health care and Tameside Hospital, but there seems to have been inadequate planning and unclear rules as to the level and type of management required for the patientslresidents. Was the required standard that of a hospital or that of a care home: No-one seemed to know and this led to general uncertainty_ Perhaps as a result of the problems highlighted at (1) above, the ward appears to have been inadequately staffed, both as to numbers of staff and the level of expertise thereof: The staff; or some of them, who gave evidence at the inquest; had either failed to read the medicallnursing notes, or if had s0 read them, had failed to understand them; The consultant surgeon had clearly indicated that the patient was to mobilise and was able to fully weight-bear; however for the whole of the week she spent in this ward she was nursed in bed and not mobilised at all, giving they they

There was no apparent handover from the hospital to this ward, as to the individual needs of the patient; and the staff were therefore placed in an impossible position_ Mrs Kirkham was moved to the intermediate care ward on a Friday preceding a bank-holiday weekend; and despite the clear indication that she was to have physiotherapy; none was arranged for four after her arrival: Despite the request from me as HM Senior Coroner, it appears that no records were available relating to the whole of her in this ward: