War hero ‘died after neglect at Urmston care home’, inquest told

Neglect by care staff in response to Harold Massey’s leg ulcer may have led to his death, an inquest heard. The 83 year olds left leg was amputated by staff at Trafford General Hospital after an ulcer developed into a serious infection.

Staff at Urmston Cottage, the care home where he was living, had noticed a small ulcer on his ankle three months earlier. But a failure to use the correct dressings or alert doctors that he was not improving led to it becoming infected, an inquest at Stockport Coroner’s Court heard.

By the time widower Mr Massey - who served as a sergeant in Singapore and Burma during World War Two - was admitted to hospital, he had a 12cm hole up his leg. Doctors decided the only way to save him was to amputate it below the knee. Mr Massey, formerly of Marlborough Road, Flixton, was then moved to another care home, but deteriorated suddenly and died on December 29, 2009, two weeks after his operation.

Such a serious operation can result in many different complications for a gentleman of Mr Massey’s age.  The operation could have been avoided had proper follow up care been provided to Mr Massey.

Reviews by Greater Manchester Police and Trafford Council both found levels of care Mr Massey received at Urmston Cottage were unacceptable. And a doctor at Trafford General, who treated him, said he believed Mr Massey had been neglected. Orthopaedic surgeon Sanjay Sureen said: "I told the family I was not happy about why the wound hadn’t been treated sooner – I did feel Mr Massey had been neglected. This situation had gone beyond the acceptable level of care."

The inquest heard that staff at Urmston Cottage, in Greenfield Avenue, Urmston, first noticed a small ulcer on Mr Massey’s leg in September 2009. He was prescribed antibiotics by a GP and treated by nurses at the care home and visiting district nurses. But he was not examined by another doctor for nearly a month and staff failed to alert his GP surgery that the ulcer hadn’t improved, the hearing was told. The inquest also heard how staff used unapproved bandages and dressings, which were sometimes not changed for up to four days.

Simply notifying the doctor that the ulcer wasn’t improving could have prevented a major operation and potentially saved this war heroes life.

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