Complications of a fractured left neck of femur (operated), sustained in a fall
AI-generated summary
A 97-year-old man with vascular dementia, visual impairment, gait instability and multiple falls risk factors fell during a supervised outing from his aged care facility and sustained a fractured neck of femur. Despite being classified as an extreme falls risk requiring constant supervision and not to be left unattended, he was taken on an outing with inadequate risk assessment, planning, and staffing. The fall occurred when exiting the bus at a restaurant. He underwent surgery but developed post-operative complications including respiratory deterioration, leading to palliation and death. The coroner found the outing care was inappropriate due to inadequate communication of falls risk, inadequate wheelchair use planning, insufficient staffing for resident dependency, and unsafe venue access. A wheelchair may have prevented the fall.
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Specialties
geriatric medicineorthopaedic surgeryemergency medicinepalliative care
Inadequate risk assessment - individual risks not considered cumulatively for group outing
Inadequate planning for appropriate use of wheelchairs during outing
Insufficient staffing numbers relative to resident dependency
Unsafe venue access - inadequate communication of falls risk
Poor communication of falls risk to staff accompanying residents on outing
Delayed root cause analysis (one year post-incident)
Post-operative complications following hip surgery including respiratory deterioration
Coroner's recommendations
BUPA residents should be risk assessed both individually and cumulatively for all future outings, with this information being recorded on the 'Daily Bus Outing Form'
BUPA should undertake ongoing audits of assessment forms completed prior to outings to ensure compliance with notification procedures and family communication requirements
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