Care Home Cover-Up: Manager Jailed After Fatal Fall

Lindsey Foster, 66, the manager of New Lodge Nursing Home, has been jailed for 37 months after admitting to perverting the course of justice. The conviction stems from a cover-up attempt following the death of 84-year-old Shirley Froggett in November 2018. Froggett had suffered a broken femur in September 2018 after falling from a wheelchair that lacked a functioning lap belt, contrary to her care plan. The fall occurred when she was unobserved, and her family was initially given misleading information. It took over 24 hours for an ambulance to be called, and the fractured femur was not diagnosed until three days later at the hospital.

Following Froggett's death from pneumonia on November 8, 2018, Foster instructed care workers Nakeeba Akhtar and Prabina Thapa to provide false written statements. These statements falsely claimed Froggett had been restrained in her chair. Foster repeated these false claims to the Care Quality Commission and the coroner. The cover-up was eventually exposed by a staff member who overheard discussions about false narratives, leading to an investigation. Akhtar and Thapa received suspended sentences for their roles in providing false statements. Amar Muneer, a nurse, admitted wilful neglect and was fined. The care home company, New Lodge Nursing Care Limited, was previously fined £30,000 for failing to provide safe care.