Surrey County Council says sorry for ‘failure’ after Gloria Foster dies without vital home care

Surrey County Council has apologised for its failures to care for Gloria Foster, who died after being left without vital home care for nine days.

The 81-year-old was left without food and medication after her care agency, Carefirst24, was shut down following a raid by police and the UK Border Agency due to allegations over illegally employing foreign students.

Surrey Adult Social Care was given a list of the people that Carefirst24 cared for on the day of the raid but no alternative care provision was put in place.

Nine days later, Mrs Foster was found by a district nurse suffering from dehydration and starvation. She later died in hospital.

Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board held a Serious Case Review into her death, which found ‘professional omissions’ were made by a social worker in Reigate and Banstead.

Surrey County Council’s strategic director for Adult Social Care, Sarah Mitchell said: “We are very sorry for our failure to help Gloria Foster to get the support she needed. This report points out we should have done more and we completely accept that.

“While we have already made changes following this dreadful case we’ll now act on these findings to do all we can to prevent anything like this happening again. Two members of staff have been suspended and we’ll be taking disciplinary action in light of these findings.”

The report revealed that when Mrs Foster was found ‘she was cold, lying partially off her bed which was sodden with urine and faeces and she appeared dehydrated with cracked lips’.

Mrs Foster, who had been diagnosed with vascular dementia in 2008, was dependent on four visits a day from the home care agency. She was funding her own care, which Surrey County Council became responsible for after Carefirst24 was closed down.

The report added that in terms of assessment, decision-making and planning, ‘once it was known that the raid would be likely to impact on Mrs Foster’s care package, the processes were clearly inadequate’.

The report went on to say that ‘given Mrs Foster’s complex needs in terms of physical health, mental health and care requirements it was essential that an alternative care provider was in place straight away when Carefirst24 ceased to operate. This need was not met by Surrey ASC either through provision of information and advice or, given the short notice, arrangement of an alternative’.

Michelle Mitchell, charity director general at Age UK, called it “astonishing that she slipped through the net and was left without help.

“The law is clear - if a local authority assesses someone as eligible for care then regardless of whether that person is funding her own care or not the local authority has a duty to ensure that they receive that care.

“Older people who struggle daily with chronic ill health, frailty and disability should at the very least have the peace of mind that they will be well cared for in times of need.”

Ian Buchan, Independent Age director of Care Services, said: “Independent Age was shocked and saddened to hear about the case of Gloria Foster who died after nine days of going without fundamental care.

“After Gloria Foster’s care agency was closed down, her local authority should have stepped in: at least to assess her immediate care needs. However, the serious case review has highlighted the social worker involved in her case wrongly assumed that as a self-funder, Gloria Foster, was able to arrange her own care. This was despite her many complex needs, which the local authority knew about through previous assessments.

“Self-funders are often in a precarious position – both in the setting up of care, when they can be left to muddle through the complex social care system alone without help and advice, and in situations such as these when care arrangements collapse. As Gloria Foster’s case highlights, local authorities don’t always have the systems in place to identify and meet self-funders' needs when this happens.

“When it comes to the day-to-day business of paying for care or finding the right information to make difficult decisions about the care system, self-funders find themselves at a huge disadvantage. We are pleased the Care Bill going through Parliament aims to tackle the inequity which means self-funders will no longer be left to struggle alone, but will mean local authorities will have a duty to provide advice and support to all those who need it, not just those they fund.”

The National Skills Academy for Social Care claims the neglect of Gloria Foster is yet another example of why strong leadership is crucial in ensuring proper care.

Debbie Sorkin, chief executive of the Skills Academy said: “This case shows exactly why leadership is so crucial in providing real social care. The Leadership Qualities Framework gives organisations and individuals, whether they are providers or commissioners, clear guidance on what good leadership looks like in practice.

“It specifically includes a section on ensuring the safety of people who use services - something that should have been central to the support for Gloria Foster. Yes, social care may be undervalued and underfunded. But the many social care organisations that provide high quality services, showing real leadership and strong values, would never entertain these issues as reasons to do otherwise.”

Jo Cleary, chair of The College of Social Work, called it a “very sad case which demonstrates the responsibilities of all professionals to support and protect the most vulnerable people living in our communities. Gloria Foster was an elderly woman with very complex needs who valued her independence but was totally reliant on the daily support of her carers.

“We are pleased that Surrey County Council values the contribution of social work to supporting their most vulnerable residents and that they have implemented health checks for their social workers. We would urge other social worker employers to do the same, if they have not done so already.”